Cheadle, a hamlet in Wheatland County, is trending on social media and attracting crowds of visitors to the community to view a new, giant Cheeto statue.
The statue, which stands about 17 metres tall, depicts two fingers and a thumb holding the giant, orange Cheeto and covered in the snack’s infamous orange cheese dust-which, according to a 2015 Tweet by company mascot Chester Cheetah, is called cheetle.
“It’s amazing the power of social media,” says Wheatland County Division 4 Councillor Tom Ikert.
Mr. Ikert’s division encompasses the hamlet of Cheadle, which is about 100 kilometres southwest of Drumheller, just off Highway 1 between the towns of Chestermere and Strathmore.
With fewer than 100 residents, the Cheadle Cheeto has drawn more visitors than the entire population of the hamlet.
“When I heard about (the Cheadle Cheeto) on about October 1 or 2, I didn’t believe it at first,” Councillor Ikert tells the Mail.
Councillor Ikert says he has tried to get Cheadle’s name on the map the last five years he has served on council, but with little success, and is happily surprised to see how much interest the community has garnered organically.
He notes Wheatland County had no involvement in bringing the giant Cheeto to Cheadle; Frito Lay and Pepsico, the companies behind the infamous snack, contacted the Cheadle Community Club and made all the arrangements through them.
Over the Thanksgiving long weekend, the statue drew many visitors to the community. Councillor Ikert says he heard from farmers there were upwards of 40 people at a time to take photos.
This is not the only development which has drawn attention to the area, either.
In September, De Havilland Aircraft of Canada announced a new state-of-the-art aircraft assembly facility, which will be located about six kilometres west of Cheadle and will create an estimated 1,500 jobs; the Cheadle Cheeto is about two miles east of this development.
However, the statue will not be a permanent fixture in the community.
A press release from the company shares that those looking to celebrate their love for Cheetos will only have until November 4 to do so; the statue is located at 400 Railway Avenue in Cheadle.
Cheadle will celebrate its centennial in 2023.
