Lumi the giant pie girl comes to the Atlanta Country Aire
 

[August 17, 2024]    Friday, August 16, Lumi, a new giant, was installed on the West side of the Country Aire Restaurant located at 606 E. South Street in Atlanta as several onlookers watched.

After seeing how many tourists were visiting Atlanta’s American Giants Museum, which is a very short drive from the restaurant, Country Aire owner Nick Beckteshi decided he wanted a giant to help draw people in.

The statue was made by Mark Cline. As Cline designed and fabricated the Lumi giant at his Enchanted Castle Studio in Natural Bridge, Virginia, he used the original model of the Uniroyal Tire giants built in the 1960s by International Fiberglass Company.

The nineteen foot tall fiberglass statue named Lumi is a waitress who is holding an apple pie in one hand.

The giant’s name came from Nick Beckteshi’s wife Lumi, an Illinois State Fair Grand Champion Pie Baker. Her champion pie inspired the design of the waitress holding the apple pie.

As a nod to the past, Lumi the giant is wearing cat’s eye glasses, a dress and waitress hat like waitresses often wore to serve in diners years ago. A notepad and pencil are in her dress pocket. A closer look the notepad shows a restaurant patron’s orders.

Lumi started the day lying on the trailer she rode on from Virginia to Atlanta a few days ago. The crew had to use a special tool to fasten the pie to Lumi’s hand before she was ready to be lifted up.

A crew from the Re-Giant team, who also restore giants, wrapped tie downs around Lumi’s arms before hooking her to the crane that would lift her into place.

Meanwhile, another crew poured concrete for the base. Lumi had anchors attached to her shoes that would go into the concrete.

VIDEO - Lumi being lifted toward her final desitnation

Once Lumi was connected to the crane, she was lifted onto the concrete pad and the anchors were put in the wet concrete. The crew then continued to smooth out the concrete pad before it dried.

After Lumi was in place, Nick, Lumi and several restaurant staff posed with Atlanta’s Bill Thomas for a photo followed by members of the Re-Giant crew posing with her.

The giant will be on permanent display on the west side of the Country Aire Restaurant, which serves good homestyle food like fried chicken and mashed potatoes and of course, pie. T-shirts with Lumi the Giant and the Country Aire logo are also available.

[Angela Reiners]