Marion Pellicano Ambrose
Fort Meyers, Florida hoped to set a ghoulish world record for the Guinness World Book of Records, on October 15th at ZOMBIECON 2011. The event calls for a gathering of the living dead to take over Downtown Ft. Meyers for an evening. Last year’s gathering was estimated to have been over 10,000 zombies, which unofficially beat the former record. This year, organizers of the event planned to make it “The Official Largest Gathering of Zombies”. According to Guinness, the World Record for the “Largest Gathering of Zombies” was set on October 30, 2010 in Asbury Park, New Jersey, with 4,093 participants.
In order to satisfy Guinness, organizers had to thoroughly document the attempt and adhere to a number of regulations. First, all zombies had to be registered by signing in and receiving a wristband with a unique number. Registration took place on Oct 15th from 5:00 PM until 8:45PM. At 9:00 PM sharp, all registered zombies were to report to “The Red Zone” on FIRST STREET (between Broadway & Jackson). The Goon Squad helped to facilitate the movement of all infected zombies into the designated “quarantined area”. All “survivors” (those not wearing zombie makeup) were asked to step off of the street and onto the sidewalk. During this time, survivors were able to seek refuge in the sanctuary of the Patio de Leon, or in any of the local bars and restaurants. Once all zombies were contained within The Red Zone, the official time keepers marked the start of the world record attempt with a loud signal. All zombies were required to stay within the designated area for the duration. Once 10 minutes had elapsed, a second signal proclaimed the end of the attempt. Zombies were then allowed to rejoin the living, and the party continued. All documentation
including media coverage and eyewitness accounts were then submitted to Guinness for verification.
including media coverage and eyewitness accounts were then submitted to Guinness for verification.
Official Guinness World Record Specific Guidelines for the “Largest Gathering of Zombies”
1. All participants must be wearing zombie costumes or make up.
2. The zombie make up must include at least white face, dark eyes and red color.
3. All participants must be in position simultaneously and remain so for a minimum of 10 minutes.
4. A loud start and finish signal recognized by all participants must be used.
Two Experienced timekeepers must time the attempt with stop watches accurate to 0.01 seconds.
5. All participants must wear the costume for the entirety of the attempt.
At the end of the evening, organizers estimated over 20,000 participants and are still waiting to hear if they are now the record holders. In addition to the good, spirited fun of the event, organizers also collected 3,900 pounds of food and 127 pints of blood were donated.
ZOMBICON supports the following charities: The Lee Memorial Blood Center, the Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida, The ArtHouse Foundation Inc., and the P.O.L.O. Club of Lee County.
Next year, how about putting on your favorite Zombie outfit and makeup and supporting the causes helped by Zombicon in your area? It’s good, clean, Halloween season fun, so come on out for an evening to die for!
More Posts for Zombie fans: http://delayedreactionlounge.blogspot.com/2011/05/zombie-mania.html
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