One of the largest Buddha statues in the US is now in Marshalltown

https://www.timesrepublican.com/news/todays-news/2021/08/thousands-celebrate-completion-of-large-marshalltown-buddha-statue/

"More than 1,000 attendees came to Theravada Dhamma Society of Iowa, a Buddhist temple in Marshalltown, to celebrate the completion of one of the largest images of Buddha in the United States.

Families flocked in waves on Sunday to a massive 18-feet-tall, 12-square-feet-wide Buddha statue to take pictures, pray and bring offerings. After a religious session in the morning, entertainers, including singers and dancers representing various ethnic groups within the society took to the stage. More than 30 Buddhist monks from around the state and country attended the celebration, with at least one visitor from each of nearly all the 50 states in attendance."

Apparently building this was quite an undertaking, and the temple ended up getting some help from JBS, a meatpacker in town.

I grew up in Marshalltown, and I've always said it was a great place to grow up if you were white, straight, and middle class. Like many other towns around Iowa and around the country, it's changing and diversifying. I think people there are still coming to terms with that, but I am happy to see my hometown growing, not dying out. I think the huge Buddha is pretty cool and I hope folks appreciate it.