Currently (as of 4/2007), Flora is 254 pounds of pure aluminum foil. She’s steadily rolling toward her goal of 2000 pounds, which would beat the world record for Largest Ball of Foil. Two months before her second birthday, she turned 100 pounds and we moved her from the countertop down to the floor. 

9/14/05 100 pounds! 

She sat on a gold “throne” until her shiny girth started to collapse the sides of the meager throne. It was about this time that we came across an old industrial scale that can weigh up to 1,500 pounds. After a thorough cleaning and a few coats of silver spray paint, the large scale became Flora’s new throne. 

10/28/05 113 pounds

Her majesty has a custom built ramp to help her on and off the scale, and it’s only had to be repaired once. It’s on this silver scale that Flora reigns, posing for photos and gleaming in the sunlight.

11/1/06 113 pounds

7/20/05 76.5 pounds

By age three, Flora had been on the news three times. Here’s a picture of her with Paul Fredericks from News Channel 2, when the two first met in 2005.

4/4/05 12 pounds

Flora gets into the holiday spirit with the other Flying Pie-ers – here’s a picture of her on Talk Like a Pirate Day 2006. 

9/19/05 101.5 pounds

We realized recently that Flora already weighs more than most of the BSU Broncos. For the first time since 2005, the Broncos are losing…..to a girl. 
Here’s how the 2007-2008 Bronco team is shaping up:

CLICK HERE to see the Bronco's 2007 Roster
 

FAQ:
How did the foil ball start? 
The foil ball was started as the “Monday Night Foil Ball” by two Flying Pie-ers, Andy Query and Justin Klein, on January 5, 2004. Below is a photo of Andy posing with the yet-to-be-named ball of foil.

3/17/04 less than 20 pounds

How did it get the name Flora?
We asked the customers to help us name her and they gave us several suggestions. When we saw the name “Flora” we just knew that was it. Here’s the comment card with the original suggestion of Flora.

How do you know it’s a girl?
At three months a foil ball’s gender is easily ascertained. A Foil Certified Professional gave her a check-up and announced, “It’s a girl!”

Where does her foil come from?
Mostly from donations of clean foil that our customers donate. Some of the foil comes from our kitchens (used foil from covering salad bar toppings, etc.).

How do you add the small pieces of foil?
We roll out a long strip of foil from a fresh roll and lay all the pieces of foil on top of it. Then we roll her up like a big snowball.

8/15/05 (becoming) 84 pounds

What is her goal weight?
One ton (2,000 pounds).

How wide will she be then?
We’re not totally sure. When she was a young pup we did calculations trying to forecast her girth at 500 pounds. What we learned as she’s grown bigger is that the heavier she gets, the more compact she gets. She won’t be as wide as we initially thought.

What’s the current world record?
The current world record for Largest Foil Ball was made by Richard Roman of Alliance, OH. The ball weighed 1,615 lbs on 9-17-1987. Most of the foil used was donated by local company A.J. Oster Foil Inc. We want Flora to have the record with pieces of foil contributed by ordinary folks – it seems more honorable that way rather than from a foil company!

What are you going to do when it’s really big?
We know that the front doors of the restaurant open to five feet wide, and that’s the widest exit from the building. Slightly before Flora gets to that point, we will roll her out the door, onto a flat bed trailer, and we’ll take her to Western Recycling. Soren, the Plant Manager, said if we can build a foil ball that big, he’ll agree to house her while she grows big enough and then eventually cut her down and recycle her.

What are you going to do with the money and how much do you think it will be?
We will donate the money to the Ronald McDonald House, and the amount will depend on the aluminum recycling rate at the time she meets her goal. Right now the average rate is $.36 per pound, so for 2,000 pounds it would be $720!

Why are you doing this?
Why not?

How You Can Help
1. Bring us your clean, flat foil! Both the Fairview and State Street stores have collection bins. When you get pizza delivered, you can even send back the clean, flat foil with the delivery driver.

2. Here’s the official Flora the Foil Ball Collection Site poster. Start a collection site in your school or office and help Flora roll to glory!

* Collection Site Poster - .pdf

3. Do you know a place that uses a lot of foil? A restaurant? A hospital? We’d like to get in touch with them! Please send us an email: comments@flyingpie.com