Candie Bonner, activity coordinator for the Wasatch County Senior Center, said it all started after she saw Utah’s Springville Senior Center build the puzzle piece by piece. She knew the around 500 Wasatch County Senior Center members would enjoy the task. They asked. Springville answered.
“We went down in March and actually took this puzzle apart, and it took four of us over four hours,” she said.
Utah-based company Dowdle created the puzzle. Titled “What a Wonderful World,” it features a map and scenes from across the globe. It’s the world’s largest commercially available jigsaw puzzle with 60,000 pieces, measuring 8 feet by 29 feet. The puzzle comes with 60 1,000-piece puzzles that can be assembled separately and then connected to create one huge puzzle. It retails for $750.
The puzzle was set out in the Wasatch center’s entryway in March. The last piece was placed in July. Bonner said it likely took more than 1,000 hours to complete, with some members plugging away for eight hours a day.
Laurel and Joe Rail, from Midway, were dedicated to putting the puzzle together. Laurel Rail said they went to the center every day before and after lunch and likely finished 10 of the 60 portions of the puzzle on their own.
“I did all of the people and the names of the places and the animals and the flags,” she said. “I think my favorite one was the White House. It had about 50 flags on it.”
Rail said she enjoyed working on the puzzle because it was a challenge and fostered community.
Dixie Baker worked on the puzzle three times a week with the Rails. She said Laurel Rail worked really well on the puzzle even when it was upside down for her.
Baker said the puzzle was a great escape from chores at home. She also enjoyed the easter eggs along the way; each of the 60 1,000-piece sections had an American flag and a reference to Utah.
“It was exciting to see what kinds of landmarks were in these puzzles,” she said. “It might be Bryce Canyon next to the Vatican, you know, or something, but [Dowdle] keeps that Utah theme through that and it was just the camaraderie. We had got to make new friends, and it was just fun.”
While Rail is sad to see the puzzle go, Bonner said the center found a family who’s up for the challenge. There’s just one requirement. The next in line must disassemble it and come and get it.
The senior center wants to make it a tradition to showcase a large puzzle at the fair each year. Bonner already has a lead on a new 50,000-piece work before this year’s Wasatch County Fair comes to a close.