Dreaming big: K-State grad brings vision for world’s largest belt buckle to life in Abilene, Kansas
At dinner parties, Julie Roller Weeks ’06 loves to ask questions that get people talking.
One of her favorite go-to conversation starters is, “If you could build the world’s
largest (fill in the blank), what would it be?”
However, as much as she loved hearing other people’s responses to that particular
prompt, she never felt like she had a good answer herself.
That is, until she started on a quest to create the world’s largest belt buckle in
Abilene, Kansas, where she serves as director of the local Convention and Visitors Bureau. The buckle has become an attention-grabbing, headline-producing, social media star,
as well as a symbol of Abilene’s rich cowboy heritage and small-town pride.
“Abilene is known as ‘best historic small town to visit,’ which is great, but we can't
just say ‘this is what we have,’” Roller Weeks said. “[The belt buckle] shows we aren’t
sitting idly, still retelling our cowboy history, but we’re coming up with new ways
to celebrate it and attract new and returning visitors.”
The story of the creation of “the world’s largest belt buckle” is a quintessentially
Kansan tale, and it traces back to Roller Weeks’ deep roots in rural and small-town
Kansas. She graduated from nearby Chapman High School and later earned a degree in
mass communication from K-State. (Her family is proud of their rich K-State history:
her mom’s side of the family is filled with K-State grads, dating back to her great-grandfather.
Dr. Roy G. Baldwin attended K-State in 1897 and graduated from the Kansas City Veterinary
College in 1909.)
After college, her first job was serving as Main Street director in Augusta, Kansas.
She dove whole-heartedly into community marketing and development, and when she went
to work for the Pottawatomie County Economic Development Corporation, she got to host
the famous Kansas Sampler Festival and learn more about tourism.
The next stop on her career journey took her to the Kansas Department of Agriculture,
where she marketed Kansas products and even got to work with a number of K-State interns.
Finally, about seven years ago she found herself back in her home territory of Abilene,
a town of 6,500 known for its connections to former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower
’66 and the Chisholm Trail.
“I never necessarily considered going back home. But if I'm going to work in tourism
and in Kansas, Abilene is a good place to be,” Roller Weeks said. “And I really like
tourism, because it's positive, it's creative, no two days are the same. It really
is just positive economic development in a community.”
However, that positivity was challenged when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020. As
funding dried up and many towns and businesses suffered financially, Roller Weeks
found herself with no staff and no budget but still a need to promote travel.
She knew she had to think outside the box, and so she started researching the world’s
largest cowboy-themed objects. She saw a giant belt buckle and had the thought, “We
can beat that.”
“To me, it’s the perfect way to celebrate Abilene,” she said. “A belt buckle is often
a walking billboard or brochure for a community, representing many of the good things
Abilene offers.”
She reached out to artist and welder Jason Lahr, and pitched what she called “this
crazy idea.” He was on board, and so she applied for — and received — a $22,000 state
of Kansas Attraction Development Grant. To help raise money for the project, Abilene
offered 100 commemorative replica belt buckles, drawing interest to the project from
across the country.
The artwork was installed the week of Christmas in 2022. The weather was freezing
cold and snowing, and the design was kept top secret. The belt buckle clocked in at
19 feet, 10.5 inches wide, and 13 feet, 11.25 inches tall, and has been garnering
attention ever since.
“The media buzz since then has just been phenomenal,” Roller Weeks said. “It's been
featured in Kansas magazine, True West magazine, radio stations, TV stations — everyone has just come out to video the buckle.”
It’s a popular photo op for both locals and out-of-town travelers, and it complements
other attractions in the community, including a large spur, cowboy statue, 11 decoratively
painted cowboy boots, and a series of murals.
The buckle also went viral when actor Jefferson White from the popular television
show Yellowstone filmed a video about the buckle.
“The response far surpassed my wildest dreams,” Roller Weeks said. “The amount of
positive publicity we’ve received from this project is a beautiful example of how
to make big things happen in a small town. It’s an inspiration to other communities.
Everywhere I go, someone asks about the buckle and every day someone shares a photo
of their visit online; if you drive by, you’ll frequently run into a visitor taking
a photo. It’s just fun!”
And in July, TravelAwaits readers recognized Abilene’s World’s Largest Belt Buckle as the Best Roadside Attraction
in the U.S.
Did you know?
More background on the buckle
The icons on the buckle symbolize important facts and traditions from Abilene’s history:
- Former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower
- The Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home is one of the top tourist attractions in Abilene.
- Wild Bill Hickok
- According to the Kansas Historical Society, famous Wild West figure Wild Bill Hickok was hired as Abilene's town marshal in 1871, during Abilene’s last big year as a cattle town.
- Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad
- Another popular tourist attraction, the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the railroad industry in Kansas. (Fun fact: Roller Weeks said her favorite K-State professor, Steve Smethers ’76, ’85, is now a key volunteer with the railroad.)
- Seelye Mansion
- This historic home is known for the fact most of its furnishings were purchased at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair.
- W. Parker carousel horse
- Abilene’s 1901 carousel can still be ridden and is featured at the Dickinson County Heritage Center.
- L. Brown telephone
- L. Brown was founder of United Telephone Company and a communications pioneer.
- A racing Greyhound
- Abilene is home to the Greyhound Hall of Fame.
- Chisholm Trail longhorn
- The centerpiece of this design is inlaid with blue quartz.