Photo by Luann Dart
Another dream streaming from the imaginative mind of sculptor Gary Greff, “Sir Albert” now majestically guards the castle, fending off a fierce fire-breathing dragon.
The 41-foot-tall knight, clad in shining armor made of tin, towers over the grounds of the Enchanted Castle in Regent. Nearby is the knight’s nemesis, a green dragon measuring 42 feet tall and 100 feet from nose to tail and clad in chainlink fence to replicate scales.
After nine years of shaping steel rods into ribs and wresting welded metal into armor, the sculptures will be completed this summer as another site along the Enchanted Highway.
But these sculptures will be more evolved than the other seven stationary sculptures along the scenic road.
When completed, the dragon will breathe real fire, blow smoke and screech a battle cry.
“I’m the knight of the castle, here to defend the castle,” the knight will reply with bravery. The animation will be activated with a credit card payment to help fund the costs of the propane needed for the fiery dragon. And a voice will tell the mythical tale about a peasant with a magical potion to help “Sir Albert,” the kingdom’s best knight, slay the dragon.
“Now, it has a little bit of life to it. It’s not just stationary,” Greff says. “So, the kids will love it.”
The Enchanted Highway, a 32-mile stretch of highway from Exit 72 on I-94 to Regent in Slope Electric Cooperative’s territory in southwestern North Dakota, features some of the world’s largest scrap metal sculptures, from giant grasshoppers to a fisherman’s dream to a complete tin family and other sculptures.
Greff started sculpting his dream in 1989, eventually crafting seven – and now eight – metal sculpture scenes placed along the Enchanted Highway with the intention of reviving his hometown of Regent. The “Tin Family” was raised in 1991 as the first group of sculptures.
“And this art is really unique to the world,” says Friends of the Enchanted Highway Foundation President Angela Carlson, Regent. The world’s largest metal sculpture, completed by Greff in August 2001, stands 110 feet tall, is 154 feet wide and weighs 157,659 pounds. Titled “Geese in Flight,” the sculpture resembles Canadian geese flying against a backdrop of sky and prairie.
And the Enchanted Castle opened in 2012, as Greff refurbished the former school in Regent into a hotel, steakhouse and tavern resembling a castle, complete with a drawbridge entrance and knights in armor guarding the hallways.
Forging the dream
Greff sinks into a chair with a sigh and his ever-present smile. Now 75 years old, he’s been welding metal into art for 35 years, and funding his projects through any means possible. But the clock’s tick-tock might be ticking louder.
He feels he has at least two more sculptures in him, and has already started crafting a 70-foot spiderweb. Resting in a yard behind the Enchanted Castle, three concrete mixer tanks will eventually be imagined into spider bodies. He describes conceptualizing the 70-foot spiderweb as his wish to replicate string art in one of his sculptures, then seeing a cement truck driving down the highway and having a eureka moment in envisioning it as a spider body.
“Each sculpture has its own history. Each one has its own story,” he says. “I wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t fun.”
Having worked as a teacher and school principal, Greff returned to his hometown of Regent in 1989 to put his master’s degree in the drawer and became an artist, welder, economic developer and community cheerleader.
He was inspired when he noticed tourists photographing a metal strongman holding a bale built by a local farmer.
Having never welded in his life, he convinced local farmers to teach him the skill, placing the “Tin Family” in 1991.
“I thought, ‘Well, no one’s going to drive 30 miles for normal, but they might drive for the world's largest,’” he says. “And that’s how it all started.”
Countless local families and off-the-beaten-path tourists have driven the Enchanted Highway, taking photos and logging family memories. And the Enchanted Highway has gained global attention.
“In my mind, it can be the world’s premier roadside attraction,” he says.
Greff’s stream of dreams isn’t stopping at eight, and now the Friends of the Enchanted Highway Foundation has been formed with the goal of preserving the highway’s unique metal sculptures into perpetuity. With the foundation in place, he is confident his work will live beyond him.
“Sometimes, I was down to the point where I had one penny left,” he says. “Now, it’s foolish to let that die when I die.”
Keeping the dream alive
“He really fought hard to keep it going through a lot of decades. From 1989 until now, that’s a long time. And he never lost the dream,” Carlson says.
Now, the Friends of the Enchanted Highway Foundation wants the dream to continue.
“Our mission is to sustain and develop the world's largest metal sculptures for the enjoyment of future generations of tourists,” Carlson says.
“Gary has the vision. We all highly respect Gary in that sense. He’s the artist and he manages all of the work that gets done to build a sculpture and maintain a sculpture, but the board is the financial arm of that organization,” Carlson explains.
The goal is to make the Enchanted Highway financially sustainable, so future generations can continue to enjoy the artful display of life shown in the scrap metal sculptures, she says.
“The board’s mission is to raise dollars to build a sustainable fund to maintain the existing Enchanted Highway sculptures and continuing to bring new visitors or repeat visitors to southwestern North Dakota, most specifically Hettinger County and Regent,” she says.
That means establishing an endowment, so earnings will sustain the sculptures into the future. The annual cost to maintain the existing sculptures is about $70,000, according to Carlson.
A non-endowment fund has also been established for new projects or current maintenance. The foundation is also gathering grant funds and seeking corporate sponsorships of individual sculptures. Sponsors for each site will fund that site’s upkeep each year, the foundation hopes.
The foundation would also like to identify welders willing to assist with the maintenance of the sculptures and volunteers to work in the newly renovated gift shop in Regent, greeting visitors and scooping ice cream.
Preserving the sculptures is important for several reasons, Carlson says.
“We are here to help bring visitors to see this wonderful part of North Dakota,” Carlson says. Visitation has increased over the years, based on traffic counters on the highway. About a decade ago, the traffic count was around 6,000 vehicles per year. The traffic counts in 2020 on the Enchanted Highway were 920 per day coming off I-94, according to the N.D. Department of Transportation.
“We hope to grow that,” Carlson says, so I-94 travelers realize there are more sculptures down the road.
Future dreams include an interpretive center with Greff’s story and meet-and-greets with Greff.
Surrounded by golden wheatfields or blooming sunflowers, visitors also see a part of North Dakota’s agricultural region.
“We just want people to see what we have and not keep it a hidden secret,” Carlson says.
“There is going to be a time when we aren’t going to have Gary Greff with us anymore, but those sculptures will still be there. That is something on this board’s mind as far as another reason we need to do this and set this up this way,” Carlson says.
The board consists of a range of talents, from politicians to fundraisers and includes: Vice President Rich Wardner, Dickinson, who served 32 years in the N.D. Legislature; Connie Wax, who lives and works in Regent; Ted Uecker, a fundraiser from Hettinger; Scott Meske, Mandan, who is a lobbyist and owner of 701 Strategies; Laura Perry, Dickinson, who is Greff’s niece; and Mark Stelter, who owns Stelter Repair in New Leipzig.
The stream of imagination will continue, as Greff has no plans to stop.
“I keep on welding. I have ideas and I keep welding until I can’t weld anymore,” he says.
To learn more, follow the foundation on Facebook and visit www.enchantedhighwaynd.com.
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Luann Dart is a freelance writer and editor who lives in the Elgin area.
Greff recognized as trailblazer
Gary Greff, the visionary behind the Enchanted Highway, was recognized with the governor’s Trailblazer Award for Tourism Innovation at the North Dakota Travel Industry Conference in April.
“He believes in his hometown and wants to see it thrive,” Enchanted Highway Foundation Board Member Ted Uecker said about Greff’s recognition. “I believe Gary is the ultimate trailblazer.”
The Trailblazer Award for Tourism Innovation acknowledges the spirit of perseverance and creativity in developing unique North Dakota offerings, which contribute to travel and tourism growth to support a diversified economy.
“Gary’s tireless innovation has secured the Enchanted Highway's place as a must-see attraction, boosting tourism and breathing new life into Regent,” the recognition states.
