Gemini Giant

The Gemini Giant is a landmark statue on U.S. Route 66 at the eastern entrance to Wilmington, IL. Currently in storage, the statue previously stood outside the Launching Pad Restaurant from 1965 to 2024. The 30 foot tall statue is one of many giant "Muffler Man" advertising props found throughout the US in the 1960s. The Gemini Giant is named after the Gemini space program and holds a silver "rocket ship" in his hands, while sporting an astronaut's space helmet that resembles a welding mask.

History
John and Bernice Korelc opened a Dari-Delight restaurant in 1960 at the present day location of the Launching Pad. The proprietors bought a 438-pound fiberglass Muffler Man figure for $3,500 at the annual National Restaurant Association convention. Seeking to capitalize on America's fascination with the Space Race, they rebranded the restaurant as the "Launching Pad" and had the statue outfitted as an astronaut with helmet and rocket. A naming contest was held at the local grade school to give the statue a new moniker, and Cathy Thomas's suggestion of "Gemini Giant" was selected as the winner. Since then, the Giant has become famous iconography of Route 66, often appearing national and international media alongside stories about the Mother Road. Its continued presence in Wilmington has become one of the most photographed destinations for travelers making the Route 66 journey.

The history of the Gemini Giant and Launching Pad are intertwined. The Giant's attractiveness as a tourist photo stop has brought more visibility to the business than a small, local, independent fast food restaurant could expect to receive otherwise, while the restaurant's success is needed to keep the Giant where it has stood since 1965.

Korelc retired from full time work in 1986, but would continue to assist his daughter Sharon at the restaurant.

Both the Launching Pad and the Gemini Giant were inducted into the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame in 2000.

2007 to Present
In 2007, Morey Szczecin purchased the Launching Pad and Gemini Giant from Sharon and her husband Jerry Gatties, marking the first time the restaurant and statue were owned by an individual outside of the founding family. The business struggled and began closing seasonally, and closed in 2010. Szczecin listed the property for sale with an asking price of $650,000.

An auction was held in April 2016, with a local couple submitting the high bid of $177,500. The bid failed to meet the reserve price of the auction, and the buyers and sellers could not come to an agreement in negotiations following the auction.

The property would remain vacant until late 2017, when the building, contents, and statue were purchased by the Gemini Giant LLC for a combined $300,000.

The business was forced to close as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Launching Pad Restaurant received a Paycheck Protection Program loan of $31,868 to maintain 25 reported jobs on May 6, 2020. They received a second round loan of $44,615 on March 10, 2021, this time reporting only six jobs. Both loans were forgiven.

The restaurant was approved for a Restaurant Revitalization Fund grant of $456,047 on May 19, 2021.

Efforts to sell the shuttered Launching Pad restaurant and the Gemini Giant were derailed in early January 2024 when property owner Holly Barker was given two ordinance violation tickets from the Wilmington Police Department as a result of Barker's destruction of her own property, on Jan 2. The Gemini Giant was auctioned off on March 20, 2024. The winning bid was $275,000. A City of Wilmington press release announced the winning bid was made by the Joliet Area Historical Museum utilizing a state grant, and that the statue was donated to Wilmington and will be displayed at the South Island Park. The donation part of that press release was later shown to be untrue when a museum loan agreement was entered into the public record as part of the agenda for a May 14, 2024 Wilmington Committee of the Whole meeting. The museum is retaining ownership of the Gemini Giant and entered into a loan agreement with Wilmington. The Gemini Giant is on loan to Wilmington for a period of two years, ending on March 20, 2026.

Trademark Disputes
Just weeks after Holly Barker's purchase of the Gemini Giant was made public, Jeffrey Vilt of neighboring Coal City filed a trademark application for the phrase "Launching Pad Gemini Giant" for use on merchandise. Vilt had no connection to any of Barker, the Gemini Giant, or the Launching Pad. After a lengthy dispute with Barker over the matter, eventually Vilt's attorney withdrew as counsel in 2019, and the trademark application was officially declared abandonded in 2021 because Vilt never filed a statement of use in the prior four years, and had failed to request an extension.

Barker filed her own trademark application for "Gemini Giant" to be used on merchandise on November 28, 2017. Following the abandonment of Vilt's application, Barker's application was allowed in May 2022. However, she too failed to submit a statement of use and this application was also abandoned.

Another application, this time for "Launching Pad Gemini Giant" and including the image of the Giant, was filed for use in fast-food restaurant services. The application was initially refused due to the likelihood of confusion with the prior registered trademark granted to the Launch Pad Brewery located in Colorado. This application was abandoned when Barker again failed to respond to the USPTO.

A third application filed by Barker, now for "Launching Pad Gemini Giant" and including the image of the Giant, for use on clothing remains live but suspended due once again to Barker's failure to respond to a USPTO required submission of a specimen of use.

A further application made on behalf of the Launching Pad Restaurant LLC, for the wordmark "Launching Pad" in use for a retail gift shop, museum and welcome center, and restaurant services, was filed in 2018. The application was abandoned in Summer 2023, again due to a failure to submit a statement of use.