There is one Sioux Falls thing I just don't get, and it separates me from all the true locals: Mr. Bendo.

Sioux Falls is my favorite place I've ever lived. I have been here for nearly 20 years. The traffic is manageable, the people are wonderful, and the snow removal is the envy of the upper Midwest.

But, like the way Pawnee, Indiana loves the mini-horse Li'l Sebastian on Parks and Recreation, Sioux Fallsians have a passion for a giant fiberglass man that I just don't understand. I'm the Ben Wyatt of Sioux Falls.

For the uninitiated, Mr. Bendo is an eighteen-foot-tall fiberglass statue. Bendo made his home in front of the former Buck's Muffler on Cliff Avenue for nearly a half-century.

Señor Bendo came to Sioux Falls in 1965, starting his standing in front of a gas station career at a Mobile station at 13th and Philips in Downtown Sioux Falls.

Mr. Bendo at his longtime home on Cliff Ave (July 2017/Google Maps)
Mr. Bendo at his longtime home on Cliff Ave (July 2017/Google Maps)
loading...

On St. Patty's Day 2010, the city was dealt a harsh blow when a drunk driver crashed into Bendo. There was even a fundraiser to help repair the giant after that accident.

When Buck's closed in 2017, the bearded behemoth made his way to Automotive Brake and Exhaust on South Minnesota Avenue.

Mr Bendo at at Automotive Brake and Exhaust on south Minnesota Avenue ( January 2022/Google Maps)
Mr. Bendo at Automotive Brake and Exhaust on South Minnesota Avenue (January 2022/Google Maps)
loading...

No matter where he is doing his thing, Sioux Falls has a mean case of Mr. Bendo-fever, and I don't get it.

I could live here for another 20 years and still not get the same connection life-long Sioux Fallsieans have with the pipe holder. I didn't grow up driving by it with my parents, then doing the same with my kids. It hasn't been a constant in my life.

I may not get the specific love for Mr. Bendo in Sioux Falls, but I do love Sioux Falls, and I understand that the mammoth muffler man is part of the package.

So, here's to you Mr. Bendo, you are indeed 5000 candles in the wind.

Get our free mobile app

Do You Know What Is Inside The Giant 60 Foot Tall Bull Head Off I-90?

Do You Know What Is Inside The Giant 60 Foot Tall Bull Head Off I-90 in South Dakota?

If you've traveled on I-90 about 30 minutes west of Sioux Falls you have probably noticed the great big giant bull horns reaching high into the South Dakota horizon.


Iconic Sioux Falls: Rosie's Cafe

More From Hot 104.7 - KKLS-FM