Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Though many boast of the record, only Jellystone Campgrounds can truly say that they have the world title.
The campgrounds attempt July 2 to break the record of the most people wearing Groucho Marx glasses at one time officially achieved their mark in the Guinness Book of World Records. Their total of 1,184 masked and mustached people was enough to beat the old record of 934 held by East Lansing, Mich.
"It was quite an experience," Jellystone activities director Sharon Rusk said. "This place was awfully busy, and, with everyone wearing the glasses - I've never seen anything like it before."
Rusk, along with 14 others, organized the sign-up process during the event and documented 1,184 people willing to participate for the record. After three hours of preparation and entertainment for the participants, the number of people amassed was made official.
"I had no idea it would take that long. Even with all the help, it ended up being quite awhile before we signed everyone up," Rusk said. "We had a few people run out onto the field without signing their name, but the record was still broken."
Many city sporting events claim to have broken the Groucho Marx record. Ballparks and soccer fields around the country have asked fans to don the glasses and then proclaim themselves the world record holders. However, Guinness World Records must be achieved under Guinness guidelines, which none of these other groups fully satisfied.
South Myrtle Beach Pelican fans of South Carolina in June registered their attempt with Guinness and said that 1,824 people wore the glasses during a baseball game. However, no signatures were obtained during the event, and the record became illegitimate by Guinness standards.
Jellystone will have pictures and information about their accomplishment within the next Guinness Book of World Records, scheduled to be published in August.
