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53-454: The Minnesota Valley Canning Company was founded in 1903 in Le Sueur, Minnesota . It used the brand name "Le Sueur Z" for canned vegetables starting in 1903; "Le Sueur" by itself was first used in 1933. The brand "Green Giant Great Big Tender Peas" was first used in 1925, and the figure of a giant was introduced three years later by Carly Stanek (Bingum). The brand was created in response to

106-485: A bind without a network affiliation – we couldn’t cover big breaking news like I felt we should." Hedberg quickly solved the problem: he contacted the manager of an NBC affiliate in a nearby community, KYSM in Mankato, Minnesota , and asked if KBEW could have authority to re-broadcast its network news; NBC Radio agreed to this extraordinary request (with the proviso that KBEW would carry NBC's advertisements but, given

159-465: A call-in segment that invited listeners to comment on subjects of local interest), Barter Time, (a free service that advertised used items for sale), and Welcome Travelers (which featured interviews of motorists who were passing through Blue Earth on US Highway 16 en route to the Black Hills and Yellowstone National Park ). As Hedberg emphasized in his autobiography, "to survive and thrive I

212-514: A license from the governor for him to operate with natives of the area, demanded Thompson's vacation. Despite his vacation, Thompson was able to claim lands one mile upriver. Within that year, Thompson, accompanied by a party led by J.M. Farmer, founded the village of Le Sueur . McLean, accompanied by John Christy and John Catheart and unaware of the village upriver, attempted to found his own village of Le Sueur . However, as an identically named settlement had already been legally platted upriver, McLean

265-555: A statue of their corporate symbol to be erected in Blue Earth to draw the attention of the steady stream of travelers who would be utilizing the new interstate. In his autobiography, The Time of My Life , Hedberg recounts how Wyman was receptive to the idea – on the condition that funds for the project were raised locally, and that the company had to give approval to the final design. After this meeting Hedberg approached several local businesses and asked each to contribute $ 5,000; within

318-468: A week the full $ 50,000 had been secured. The four-ton statue was crafted by Creative Display from Sparta, Wisconsin . Work began on the statue in the spring of 1978, with a target for completion to coincide with the opening of Blue Earth's section of Interstate 90 on September 23, 1978. The statue was not delivered fully assembled – the pose Wyman approved had the Giant standing with hands on his hips, but he

371-577: A week. A lot of what these bi-weekly papers printed as news became history when a radio station entered the community." The limitations of a daytime-only permit led Hedberg to seek an FM license to complement KBEW. On August 27, 1965, KBEW-FM went on the air at 100.9 MHz. Hedberg continued to operate KBEW-AM/FM until his purchase of KEYC-FM in April 1976. Prevailing FCC regulations of the time did not allow Hedberg to own FM stations with overlapping signals; in this case KEYC (which he later renamed KEEZ-FM )

424-405: A young copywriter, Leo Burnett , revised the face of the brand: "he traded the bearskin for a leafy suit, gave the Giant a smile...and put the word 'Jolly' in front of the Giant's name." The Giant made his first television appearances in 1954, and was later voiced by Elmer Dresslar, Jr. The booming "Ho, ho, ho" became the Giant's signature tagline in 1961. Since 1972 he has had a young apprentice,

477-599: Is at the end of the Minnesota River Valley and still has a canning plant formerly owned by Green Giant that continues to can peas and corn each summer. Blue Earth's major summer festival is Giant Days, held annually on the weekend following the Fourth of July. In 2014, in honor of the 35th anniversary of the Green Giant statue's installation on its base, Paul Hedberg was asked to serve as Grand Marshal of

530-632: Is currently owned by Carolyn and Doyle Becker, through licensee Riverfront Broadcasting of Minnesota, Inc. and features programing from CBS News Radio . Clifford Hedberg, owner of KMRS in Morris, Minnesota , applied for KBEW's original construction permit; in August 1962 the FCC approved the application for a 250-watt daytime -only station. The FCC originally assigned the station the call letters KCLH (for "Clifford LeRoy Hedberg"), but before its first broadcast

583-411: Is land and 0.25 square miles (0.65 km ) is water. A small part of the city extends into Sibley County . U.S. Highway 169 , Minnesota State Highway 93 , and County Highway 22 (Formerly Minnesota State Highway 112 ) are three of the main routes in the community. As of the census of 2010, there were 4,058 people, 1,640 households, and 1,058 families residing in the city. The population density

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636-903: The Marlboro Man and Ronald McDonald , and ahead of Betty Crocker , the Energizer Bunny , the Pillsbury Doughboy , Aunt Jemima , the Michelin Man , Tony the Tiger , and Elsie [the Borden cow]). In 2005, the Jolly Green Giant was shown in MasterCard 's "Icons" commercial during Super Bowl XXXIX , which depicts advertising mascots having dinner together. "The Valley of the Jolly Green Giant" refers to

689-599: The Minnesota River valley around Le Sueur . Today, just before dropping down into the valley heading south on U.S. Route 169 an enormous wooden sign of the Jolly Green Giant, along with the Little Green Sprout, is visible with the caption "Welcome to the Valley." Sixty miles (97 km) further south on US 169, in the city of Blue Earth, Minnesota , stands a 55-foot (17 m) fiberglass statue of

742-426: The Giant like you would Santa Claus on Christmas Eve: “You just missed him,” I’d tell them, their eyes getting wider and wider, “but keep a look out when you get back on the road – he stepped on a car last week!” Paul Hedberg In the late 1970s the nation's first transcontinental freeway, Interstate 90 , was nearing completion; the final stretch of road to be opened was that portion surrounding Blue Earth. Hedberg

795-558: The Giant, in the bucket of a Blue Earth fire truck, to put a long red scarf around his neck to keep him warm for the winter. The Blue Earth Fire Department also gives the Giant a bath at least once a year. Paul Hedberg The statue is mounted on a pedestal and has steps so visitors may take a picture standing directly under it. The imposing Green Giant is typically included in lists of America's unusual or notable roadside attractions, and has been featured in numerous magazines, including Time , Budget Travel , and Mental Floss . Blue Earth

848-595: The Highway Administration! It was a spectacular piece of publicity for Blue Earth." Today the Giant stands there, looking north toward I-90, as the tenth tallest free-standing statue in the United States (he was actually the fifth tallest when we put him up in 1979; the Statue of Liberty – about three times the height of our Giant – is tallest of them all). Every Christmas season Santa still visits

901-451: The Jolly Green Giant. The statue was first unveiled in 1978 and was set on its permanent base on July 6, 1979, at 43°39′02″N 94°5′46″W  /  43.65056°N 94.09611°W  / 43.65056; -94.09611  ( Jolly Green Giant statue (Blue Earth, Minnesota) ) . The statue attracts over 10,000 visitors a year. The statue was the idea of Paul Hedberg, the founding owner of local radio station KBEW . During weekdays in

954-549: The Little Green Sprout, who represents the consumer. The company was renamed to the Green Giant Company in 1950. In 1979 it merged with the Pillsbury Company ; in 2001, the group was acquired by General Mills . In 2015, General Mills sold the brand to B&G Foods for $ 765 million in cash. In Canada, the brand Le Sieur has been used since at least 1964, instead of Le Sueur – presumably to avoid

1007-545: The Saint Anne's Roman Catholic parish was established by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis with Father Venn as its first pastor. And within a year, a church was built. the church was affiliated, as of its original founding, with Le Sueur's French populace. The Zion United Church of Christ, the first Lutheran church of Le Sueur still in existence today, was formed from

1060-428: The age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.5% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.97. The median age in

1113-420: The age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.6% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.07. In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.8% under

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1166-460: The age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $ 42,372, and the median income for a family was $ 53,362. Males had a median income of $ 35,810 versus $ 24,359 for females. The per capita income for

1219-470: The area was known by the French as Prairie La Fleche , or "arrow prairie". It is believed this place name originates from a translation of the native Dakota name for the area, Wahinoge , or " flint quarry ", a material used to make arrowheads . In 1852, the first claim on the area that is now the city of Le Sueur was made by George W. Thompson. Soon after Thompson settled here, Henry McLean, presenting

1272-574: The call letters were changed to KBEW to reflect many of the communities in Faribault County, Minnesota : Kiester , Blue Earth, Bricelyn , Easton , Elmore , Wells , and Winnebago . From its inception KBEW was managed by Clifford Hedberg's son, Paul, who also held an ownership interest in the station. Paul Hedberg had worked for his father at KMRS before gaining further on-air experience at KRIB in Mason City, Iowa , and at several of

1325-603: The canning is done in Montgomery , Minnesota . The old canning processing plant in Le Sueur was used until 1995. It is still used for Ag related research for corn varieties. Peas are no longer researched at the Le Sueur plant. The sugar snap pea variety was developed by a scientist at the Le Sueur plant. Le Sueur was named its current name in 1853 by the community there at the time after the explorer Pierre-Charles Le Sueur who explored this area from 1683 to 1722. Before this,

1378-452: The city was $ 21,605. About 5.8% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the poverty line , including 12.3% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over. Despite the devastation of Green Giant's departure, unemployment is low due to expansions to the pre-existing Le Sueur Inc. foundry and Davisco creamery and Cambria, a manufacturer of natural quartz surfaces. A Mars pet food plant existed in Le Sueur shortly until it

1431-401: The city was 37.9 years. 25% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.8% were from 25 to 44; 24.2% were from 45 to 64; and 16.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.4% male and 51.6% female. As of the census of 2000, there were 3,922 people, 1,545 households, and 1,025 families residing in the city. The population density

1484-494: The closure of the entirety of the original Green Giant processing plant, with the exception of a Green Giant research center. Of note, the more-than-55-foot fiberglass Jolly Green Giant statue resides not in Le Sueur but 60 miles away in Blue Earth, Minnesota. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 5.62 square miles (14.56 km ); 5.37 square miles (13.91 km )

1537-465: The discovery of a new variety of pea , the Prince of Wales; they were "oblong, wrinkled, and, as peas go, huge. Despite their size, they were tender, and had a special flavor and sweetness that couldn't be matched. The company went to the brands for which it canned and found that none of them wanted to sell the new peas. So Minnesota Valley decided to sell them under its own label. Rather than apologize for

1590-749: The formation of the First Lutheran Church, in 1883. The church moved to three different parts of Le Sueur until being plotted in its current location in 1980. Church services were held in Swedish until 1927 when they were changed to English. In 1955, the Grace Lutheran Church was founded as a member of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod . In 1978, the Word of Life Lutheran Brethren Church

1643-1143: The gravity of the unfolding situation, NBC ran no commercials anyway). In the wake of the Kennedy assassination KBEW became an affiliate of the ABC Entertainment Network – largely because this brought with it the news and commentary of Paul Harvey . Hedberg also organized the Faribault County Radio Network to provide blanket coverage of daily local news from neighboring communities. The network initially had correspondents in Winnebago, Minnespts; Wells, Minnesota; and Elmore, Minnesota; other reporting points were set up later in Kiester, Minnesota; Amboy, Minnesota ; Buffalo Center, Iowa ; Ledyard, Iowa ; and Swea City, Iowa . As Hedberg noted in his autobiography, "Radio stations in small towns like Blue Earth generally competed with local newspapers that were published only once or twice

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1696-537: The implications of the French word sueur (i.e., "sweat"). In 1963, a seven-inch (18 cm) 33 rpm EP, "When Pea-Pickers Get Together", featuring Tennessee Ernie Ford and the Green Valley Singers was released. Side one was a medley of popular folk songs, while side two told the story of how Ford and the Jolly Green Giant collaborated on writing his signature TV song ("How The Green Giant Found His Song (And Almost Lost His Ho! Ho! Ho!)"). The jacket for

1749-436: The introduction of "Green Giant Great Big Tender Peas", a company mascot based on Paul Bunyan was introduced called "The Jolly Green Giant". The new mascot spurred the company to change its name to "Green Giant Co." in 1950. The canning company flourished in Le Sueur until Pillsbury's purchase of Green Giant 1979 which moved Green Giant headquarters from Le Sueur to Minneapolis . In January 1995, Pillsbury officially announced

1802-518: The major radio stations in the Minneapolis-St. Paul market (including WMIN , WTCN , WLOL , and KDWB ). KBEW debuted on August 29, 1963, with a format of “memory music and news.” Paul Hedberg's prevailing philosophy of "live and local" marked KBEW's programming from the start. Listeners within the 45-mile radius of KBEW's signal enjoyed daily staples such as Information Please (a two-part program of recipes and homemaking tips, followed by

1855-563: The parade that culminates the festivities. Every year during Giant Days, green footsteps are painted on sidewalks throughout downtown Blue Earth, leading to local businesses. Le Sueur, Minnesota Le Sueur ( / l ə s ʊər / lə- SOOR ) is a city in Le Sueur County in the U.S. state of Minnesota , between Mankato and the Twin Cities . It lies along the Minnesota River and U.S. Highway 169 . Le Sueur

1908-463: The public school system, the St. Anne's Catholic School, a private Catholic elementary school , serves students from pre-kindergarten to 5th grade. Despite being a Catholic institution, St. Anne's admits students from all Christian denominations. The City of Le Sueur holds six churches total with a Catholic church, a Methodist church, an Evangelical church, and three Lutheran churches. On July 26, 1862,

1961-463: The record gives the official "biography" of the Jolly Green Giant. In 1964, The Kingsmen scored a hit at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 with " The Jolly Green Giant ", a novelty tune about the Giant's love life. In 1999, the marketing industry's leading publication, Advertising Age , posted a list of the twentieth century's top ten advertising icons, and placed the Green Giant third (behind

2014-454: The records we played, but by the things we did in between the music. My hope was the locals didn’t want to miss something." KBEW initially broadcast without network affiliation, but the assassination of John F. Kennedy only three months after its first broadcast exposed this shortcoming. In his autobiography Hedberg recalled how the station navigated this difficult situation: "Reports from Dallas were slow to be updated, so we were left reading

2067-424: The same bulletins over and over until it was verified that Kennedy had died. At news of his death, I phoned the local Catholic priest and asked if he would come to the station and conduct a service on the air; we should have taped it so we could replay it instead of reading the same, stale AP copy over and over again. It wouldn’t have been right to turn back to music or our other normal programming, so we were really in

2120-416: The size of the peas, they decided to emphasize it. They named the peas 'Green Giant.'" The original mascot had very little in common with the familiar green figure of today: he was a scowling caveman wearing a bearskin rather than foliage designed by John Olson from northwestern Minnesota (this original concept actually owed much to a dark Brothers Grimm fairy tale, Der Bärenhäuter – Bearskin ). In 1935,

2173-433: The summertime Hedberg would interview people passing through Blue Earth on U.S. Highway 169 for his popular radio program Welcome Travellers . At the end of each interview, Hedberg presented guests with a sample of the peas and corn which had been produced by the town's Green Giant canning plant, along with a sample of what passed for the blue riverbed clay that gave the town its name. A common theme arising in these interviews

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2226-524: The two churches present in the Le Sueur area at the year of 1868, A German native Lutheran church and a New Knoxville, Ohio native Reform church. The church moved to three different parts of Le Sueur until being plotted in its current location in 1956. Until a 1931 vote changed it to English, church services were held in German. A few years after the Zion church's merger, a wave of Swedish immigration spurred

2279-652: The world-famous Mayo Clinic in Rochester , Minnesota , with his sons William and Charles . His old home, the Dr. William W. Mayo House , was restored to its mid-1800 appearance and turned into a museum; it, along with several other buildings in Le Sueur, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . The company that is now known as Green Giant was founded in 1903 as The Minnesota Valley Canning Company, by 14 Le Sueur local merchants. In 1925, along with

2332-441: Was 755.7 inhabitants per square mile (291.8/km ). There were 1,782 housing units at an average density of 331.8 per square mile (128.1/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 90.6% White , 0.8% African American , 0.3% Native American , 0.8% Asian , 5.9% from other races , and 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.9% of the population. There were 1,640 households, of which 32.7% had children under

2385-477: Was 879.0 inhabitants per square mile (339.4/km ). There were 1,589 housing units at an average density of 356.1 per square mile (137.5/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 92.48% White , 0.25% African American , 0.15% Native American , 0.28% Asian , 0.08% Pacific Islander , 5.86% from other races , and 0.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.64% of the population. There were 1,545 households, out of which 33.3% had children under

2438-417: Was a desire to "see the Green Giant." My idea for this statue had its beginnings with my “Welcome Travelers” program on KBEW. After I’d give my interviewees their gifts of “blue earth” and cans of peas and corn they’d often ask, “Where’s the Green Giant?” Children traveling with their parents expected to see the Giant in the flesh, and would ask me where he was. I liked to have fun with these kids, so I’d treat

2491-631: Was closed in 2009. The school system of Le Sueur, Le Sueur-Henderson School District, services the 1,076 students of Le Sueur and the nearby city of Henderson jointly. This system consists of Park Elementary School and Le Sueur-Henderson Secondary School in Le Sueur and Hilltop Elementary School in Henderson. Each school in the system services its own division of the system from Kindergarten to 12th grade. Park Elementary School serves Kindergarten-3rd grade; Hilltop serves 4th-5th grade; Le Sueur-Henderson Secondary School serves 6th-12th grade. Beyond

2544-564: Was determined to get as many local people on the radio as possible, even if that resulted in some hokey stuff. We were talking about people and places and things our locals could relate to, and that WCCO in Minneapolis – our biggest competition – couldn’t duplicate. There was nothing that a big clear channel station in the Twin Cities could do to prevent us from building an audience by being intensely local. Our success wasn’t built on

2597-609: Was formed by a group of Le Sueur Lutheran families. The church existed only among church members' houses until a church building was purchased, the First Lutheran Church's previous building, in 1980. The church was plotted in its current location in 1996. Le Sueur also holds the Le Sueur United Methodist Church. KBEW (AM) KBEW (1560 AM ) is a radio station located in Blue Earth, Minnesota that broadcasts an oldies format. The station

2650-547: Was named in honor of the French explorer Pierre-Charles Le Sueur . The population was 4,213 at the 2020 census . The community is known locally as the "Valley of the Jolly Green Giant ". A large billboard, with the caption "Welcome to the Valley" and Green Giant logo, remains even after the company and Green Giant label were bought by Pillsbury in 1979. Pillsbury merged with General Mills in 2001. In 2016, General Mills spun off Green Giant to B&G Foods and

2703-420: Was one of many civic leaders instrumental in rerouting the freeway closer to Blue Earth, and saw this as an opportunity to attract new visitors to the town. Keeping in mind how the prospect of seeing the Green Giant fired the imaginations of the children who passed through Blue Earth with their parents each summer, in 1977 Hedberg contacted Thomas H. Wyman, President of Green Giant, to see if the company would allow

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2756-462: Was required to settle for the name Le Sueur City . Rivalry over the righteous claim of Le Sueur caused both cities to legislate civil matters separately and deterred the incorporation of either community. However, in 1867, a special act by Minnesota Legislature was able to remedy this by uniting both communities into one borough town , Le Sueur . William Worrall Mayo was an early resident who began his practice in Le Sueur. He eventually founded

2809-468: Was then too wide to fit on a flatbed truck so his two arms were transported separately to be attached upon arrival in Blue Earth. As Hedberg remembers in his autobiography, "I made arrangements with a local crane owner to display the statue temporarily at the site of the I-90 dedication: suspended from this crane, with straps under his armpits, the Giant offered his approving smile for what we’d accomplished with

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