When 30-year-old Georgia Tech student Hubert Puckett finally finished his work on the Big Chicken in 1963, it was only after years of work and multiple architects passing up on the opportunity. The sculpture was big and bright red, with its beady eyes staring down on Marietta.
Now, 60 years later, Puckett came back.
Puckett returned to the Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Big Chicken in Marietta on Sunday to celebrate its 60th anniversary and his 90th birthday with his son and grandson and Marietta Mayor Steve “Thunder” Tumlin.
“Anywhere you went, somebody would say, ‘you’re from Marietta, tell me about the Big Chicken,” said Tumlin.
Patrons packed the restaurant Sunday afternoon, reminiscing about their memories of the fried chicken joint and its importance to Marietta. From big eyed babies to white haired adults, the Big Chicken brought them together.
Jett Wayne Puckett, grandson of Hubert Puckett, used the Big Chicken for his college admissions essay. Mino and James “Budd” Holcomb have been married for 62 years and have been visiting the chicken ever since it opened.
The event even came with free entertainment from The Big Chicken Chorus, with them belting out the National Anthem and “Georgia On My Mind.” Frank Hrach, chorus member, joined the chorus in 1985, its first year. He has toured across the U.S, Canada and the United Kingdom.
“So we’ve spread our name of Marietta and the chicken, really around the world.” said Hrach.
The original restaurant, Johnny Reb’s Chick, Chuck and Shake, was replaced with KFC in 1974. The company has maintained the landmark ever since.
Throughout the decades, the community has rallied around the Big Chicken in its times of need: the 1993 snowstorms nearly destroyed the statue, and KFC had plans to demolish it. But after a public outcry led folks to protest in the streets, the fried chicken chain decided to restore the chicken to its former glory.
Credit: Marlene Karas / AJC Archives
Credit: Marlene Karas / AJC Archives
“And we fought, when they talked about tearing this building down, we fought against that,” said Holcomb.
The restaurant underwent $2 million in renovations in 2017 and added a new sign, making the name “the Big Chicken“ official.
Rallying behind historic landmarks is important for the community, said Holcomb. Before GPS, people used cultural oddities like the Big Chicken to find their way around. Pilots would use it to track their course, and they were a part of the protests to repair the chicken. GPS might be how people get around now, but Marietta townsfolk will still use the bright red chick as a descriptor for directions.
Credit: Courtesy of Trevor Park
Credit: Courtesy of Trevor Park
Some Big Chicken fans will joke about the chicken being in the league of the Eiffel Tower and the Pyramids. While many realize it’s not quite that famous or architecturally significant, the chicken still has a hold on people’s hearts.
“Of all those great monuments, there’s something special about this place,” said Jett Puckett, son of Hubert Puckett.
— Staff writer Taylor Croft contributed to this article.
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