Chesley’s Giant Steer, Big Bruce has been named a top roadside attraction in Ontario.
The contest was held on TVO’s The Agenda called the 2021 Roadside Attraction Showdown.
Big Bruce was the top of 15 competitors that included Sudbury’s Big Nickel, Wawa’s Canada Goose, Kenora’s Huskie the Muskie, Ottawa’s Giant Spider and others.
An online and social media vote was held, which ended this week.
Arran-Elderslie Deputy Mayor Mark Davis says his father, former Elderslie Township Reeve and Bruce County Warden Harvey Davis came across a fibreglass steer on a golden trailer in the United States in the 1970s.
He eventually managed to convince the Bruce County cattlemen’s Association to buy the steer, because Davis wanted to use it to promote the International Plowing Match of 1976 which was being held in Bruce County, and he would take ‘Big Bruce’ around to various events, “He got a lot of funny looks driving down the road,” says Davis, “I think he kind of enjoyed that.”
Davis says when his father Harvey, died in 1980, the Cattlemen’s Association decided to retire ‘Big Bruce’ to his place outside town hall.
Davis says he cast his vote for Big Bruce in the contest too, “The family is really pleased and, you know it’s a great thing for the whole area. To actually.”
Mark Davis now has ‘Little Bruce’ which was bought by the Cattlemen’s Association in 2008 to promote another plowing match. Davis later bought Little Bruce from them in an auction. Little Bruce is still over 6 feet tall at the shoulder and Davis uses him in parades and at at events. He’s likely to appear in this Sunday’s Car Tour in lieu of the Paisley Fair at the Soybean stop.
You can find Big Bruce in Chesley on Bruce Road 10 outside Arran-Elderslie Town Hall.
