For years, the small northern Minnesota community of Remer was known as Eagle Country. Ask local residents about their hometown, and the eagle was a point of pride and a familiar part of the community’s identity.
Then came Bigfoot.
When a local business began promoting Remer as the “Home of Bigfoot,” the idea quickly gained attention. At first, some residents were hesitant. After all, Remer was Eagle Country, and there was a strong desire to preserve that identity.
Through community conversations, however, residents began to see an opportunity. They didn’t have to choose; Remer could celebrate both. That shift in perspective sparked a community-wide effort to embrace the two identities and turn them into an experience that would give visitors another reason to stop, explore, and remember Remer.
Turning an Idea into an Experience
CEDA’s Northern Minnesota Regional Manager, Jessica Pellinen, helped turn that community vision into action. Working with local partners, she connected with an artist and pursued funding to repaint Remer’s large eagle statue.
Around the same time, the City, local businesses, and the Lions Club came together to bring a 25-foot Bigfoot statue to town. Reimagining the eagle and welcoming Bigfoot became the beginning of a larger eff ort to transform Remer’s public spaces.
The community’s momentum continued through a group participating in Strategic Doing with the Blandin Foundation. The group connected with an artist traveling across the country with a goal of painting 50 murals in 50 states. Following a strong application, Remer was selected as one of the communities to receive a mural.
The finished artwork proudly brings the community’s two identities together, featuring both an eagle and Bigfoot.
Bringing the Story Throughout Town
The project continued to grow beyond the statues and mural.
With approval from MnDOT, CEDA helped design and order new street signs along State Highway 200/6 featuring a playful combination of eagles and Bigfoot.
Taking inspiration from other communities using public art to create unique visitor experiences, CEDA also sought bids from chainsaw carvers for six wood sculptures ranging from two to seven feet tall—three eagles and three Bigfoots. Today, the carvings can be found throughout town, encouraging visitors to explore beyond the highway.
Large Bigfoot footprints painted along the community’s walkways add another unexpected touch, catching the attention of travelers passing through.
To help visitors find it all, CEDA created an Art Map highlighting the community’s statues, carvings, mural, and other public art.
A Community That Chose Both
Remer’s story is a reminder that community identity doesn’t always have to be an either-or decision. Sometimes, the best path forward is to recognize what already makes a community special and find new ways to build upon it.
By embracing both the eagle and Bigfoot, Remer has created a distinctive sense of place that celebrates its history while giving visitors a new reason to stop and explore.
The result is more than public art; it’s a community story that residents can take pride in and visitors can experience for themselves.
