World Photo by Amy Moss Strong It started as a quirky idea 34 years ago. Bandon’s Gregg McCall started saving peppermint candy wrappers and wrapped them into a ball. Now the ball weighs 16 pounds.

BANDON — Gregg McCall sure knows how to have a ball. He’s been making one for 34 years.

It started on a high school double date in 1974. The foursome ate four York Peppermint Patties, and McCall pocketed the wrappers.

The next week, the two couples shared a whole bag of the mints. McCall began a ball of wrappers that continues today.

“Even when it was small, I’d show it to people and they’d get such a kick out of it,” McCall said.

The ball has grown to 16 pounds and 6,695 wrappers. The 52-year-old McCall spends from nine to 10 hours a week carefully taping wrappers onto the ball. He keeps meticulous records. He noted changes in wrappers over the years, from foil to plastic, and special holiday packaging.

McCall moved to Bandon in 2003 and works as a guest services supervisor for Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. He also manages Seabird Mini Storage.

McCall wants to expand the ball to 50 pounds and auction it online to benefit Limbs for Life, a prosthetic limb foundation. His brother, Jeff, designed a Web site telling the story of the York Ball and encouraging people to send wrappers. McCall has written to the candy’s maker, a division of the Hershey company.

“Truly my goal is to have Hershey buy the York Ball,” McCall said.

Meanwhile, he will continue carefully taping on wrappers, which he receives almost daily in the mail. And he still enjoys Peppermint Patties.

“Chilled with a glass of cold milk,” he said.

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On the Net:

McCall’s York ball Web site:

http://www.greggswrappers.com.