Almost a quarter century after Christoper Walken demanded Will Ferrell give him “more cowbell” in a legendary Saturday Night Live skit, Belle businessman Jimmy Zumwalt and his wife Wendy delivered.
And they did it in a big way.
The Zumwalts recently installed a 15-foot tall, 6,300-pound cowbell on property they own along Highway 28 in Belle. The eye-catching steel bell is 12-foot across, eight-feet deep and includes a 350-pound crane ball as the clapper. Yes, this bell will ring.
With 2,000 hours dedicated to its construction and installation, the Zumwalts and co-creators at Heintz Welding are rightfully proud of the bell and hope it brings extra attention to the Maries County community, which is home to about 1,600 people.
“I’m not going to make any money off of this,” Jimmy Zumwalt says, “it’s just my way of giving back to the community.”
The Zumwalts own Mid-State Pipeline Maintenance in Belle and have touched several projects designed to bring more business and people to the town. One such business, Blossoms Boutique, is almost as eye catching as the giant bell – the hot pink exterior is hard to miss as you make your way through downtown.
Jimmy Zumwalt says passersby on Highway 28 are welcome to pull into the business’s parking lot to take photos and admire the bell, which is under consideration with the Guinness Book of World Records. Jimmy Zumwalt believes it is the largest cowbell in the world and is awaiting official certification.
The giant bell is just a stone’s throw from the still-under-development Rock Island Trail, a portion of which runs through Belle.
Mid-State Pipeline is located at 309 Highway 28 East, in the recently restored Belle MFA building, now known as Zumwalt’s Feed Mill.