WOW Collective

02/09/2026

Here’s a great overview and history of our next project- Big Jim- in this month’s Maine Boats Homes & Harbors! A pleasure to get to spend the winter planning for our spring spruce up of the roadside icon! Please donate to the project if you can, and thanks to all who have.

Thank you to Letitia Baldwin and Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors for this wonderful article on the Big Jim restoration project! You can read the article here: https://maineboats.com/content/big-jims-new-lease-life, and you can find out more about the project and donate here: https://penobscotmarinemuseum.org/big-jim/.

12/17/2025

Matching grant up to $3,000 for the restoration of BIG JIM! We can’t wait to spruce him up.

Through the end of December, every dollar you give to restore Big Jim will be matched 1:1 — up to $3,000! That means your gift today becomes TWICE the support for this iconic Maine landmark. Help us restore Big Jim and honor the hardworking people of Maine’s coastal past. Donate here: https://penobscotmarinemuseum.org/big-jim/

12/17/2025

🐟🐟🐟⭐️Matching grant for the restoration of BIG JIM! Join us! ⭐️🐟🐟🐟

Through the end of December, every dollar you give to restore Big Jim will be matched 1:1 — up to $3,000! That means your gift today becomes TWICE the support for this iconic Maine landmark. Help us restore Big Jim and honor the hardworking people of Maine’s coastal past. Donate here: https://penobscotmarinemuseum.org/big-jim/

12/16/2025

HAPPY HOLIDAYS from WOW Collective! ⭐️

12/12/2025

Big Jim on TV! Hear about his journey and help him get his feet off the ground and into the paint room by donating to the Big Jim Restoration Project at Penobscot Marine Museum! 📺 FOX ABC Maine

SEARSPORT -- From welcoming visitors to Maine, to reminding us of a prominent industry, there's a four-storey figure that has stood proudly for nearly seventy years - and a Searsport

12/12/2025

🐟 BIG JIM on TV! Hear more about his story and help us get his feet off the ground and into the paint shop by donating today! Penobscot Marine Museum is a 501 c-3 and your donations are tax deductible.

https://penobscotmarinemuseum.org/big-jim/

SEARSPORT -- From welcoming visitors to Maine, to reminding us of a prominent industry, there's a four-storey figure that has stood proudly for nearly seventy years - and a Searsport

12/12/2025

Big Jim on tv! Hear more about the project and send a few scheckles to help this project get underway!

https://penobscotmarinemuseum.org/big-jim/

SEARSPORT -- From welcoming visitors to Maine, to reminding us of a prominent industry, there's a four-storey figure that has stood proudly for nearly seventy years - and a Searsport

12/05/2025

Our fundraising efforts are underway, but we need your help! Find out more about the project and donate here: penobscotmarinemuseum.org/big-jim/

12/01/2025

What’s all this about Big Jim? How can you help? Here’s the fascinating history of the roadside attraction celebrating Maine’s sardine industry. Read all about it! WOW Collective is excited to be part of the story.

SEARSPORT — An iconic billboard statue erected in homage to one of Maine's former — and lucrative — industries will soon be back alongside Route 1, this time in the Midcoast, taking up position in Searsport in front of the Penobscot Marine Museum.

11/22/2025

What we’ve been up to!

11/11/2025

WOW Collective in the news! Hear all about the Big Jim project from WABI Chanel 5.

WABI TV5 Penobscot Marine Museum

Fundraising campaign launched by Penobscot Marine Museum to restore Big Jim fisherman in Prospect Harbor back to original image

11/10/2025

Excited to be on the art team restoring BIG JIM with Penobscot Marine Museum this winter!

Announcing our next project…. A super exciting one, we’ll be on the team restoring BIG JIM with Penobscot Marine Museum!

✨Please share, we can use help raising the funds necessary for this large undertaking!✨

The Penobscot Marine Museum is leading a project to restore “Big Jim,” the 40-foot-tall Maine fisherman who has stood as a proud symbol of our coastal heritage for more than six decades.

In partnership with Bold Coast Seafood—the new owners of the former Stinson Cannery— and the Gouldsboro Historical Society, we’re breathing new life into this beloved roadside icon so that the story of Maine’s sardine industry and the generations who worked in it will never be forgotten.

The sardine industry was once the economic heart of Maine’s coastal communities, employing tens of thousands of people. Restoring Big Jim honors their work, their families, and the enduring spirit of the Maine coast.

This project isn’t just about preserving a sign—it’s about preserving a story.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
We can’t do it without you!
Your donation—large or small—will help fund materials, transport, restoration, and the talented Maine artists bringing Big Jim back to life.
Donate today and be part of Maine history in the making. Together, we’ll make sure Big Jim stands tall for generations to come.

DONATE

https://penobscotmarinemuseum.org/big-jim/