LEESBURG – A world record may be shattered at Tippecanoe Lake Country Club Sunday, after the Fourth Annual Cardboard Boat Regatta.
The Club will attempt to break the world record for the longest ice cream dessert. The current record of 150 feet was set April 9 by St. Anne’s School in Bethlehem, Pa.
“I was in Tampa watching CNN news. They were covering St. Anne’s breaking the record,” said Tippy Chief Operations Officer Paul Kornfeind. “I thought that was a fun, family-friendly, low-cost event we could have at the club.”
With the Regatta already planned for Sunday, adding the attempt for a world’s record sounded like a good way to get some positive public relations for the club, he said.
Tippy’s record-breaking dessert will be more than 175 feet, Kornfeind said.
“We might go over that,” said Executive Chef Matt Fry.
Kornfeind said the dessert will be made of cake, ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate sauce and cherries.
Making all the cake will take a couple of days of preparation, Fry said. There will be 40 slices of cake per sheet pan, and each slice will be about 3 inches by 3 inches. Additional preparation the day of the event will take a couple of hours, including “pre-balling” the ice cream.
“It’ll be less than 20 minutes to execute,” said Kornfeind.
Twelve staff and members will assemble the dessert. Fry said there will be four teams with three members on each team.
A can of whipped cream can cover about six feet, and the whipped cream melts faster than the ice cream, according to Fry.
The ice cream dessert will be made outside in the driveway of the Club. Eight-foot tables will be set up end to end. Mullets Seamless Guttering & Construction, Leesburg, will provide a seamless 200-foot eavesdrop, which will probably also be lined with plastic for the dessert.
“Everyone will have gloves on for food safety,” Kornfeind said.
Despite the record attempt being done outside, Kornfeind said, the weather Sunday for the sundae is suppose to be perfect.
A certified official from the Kosciusko County Department of Weights and Measures will be on hand to measure the dessert. Kornfeind said the official will use a certified tape measure from Indianapolis, to make it all official.
Kornfeind said he hopes the record will put Leesburg and Tippy on the map.
“It’s a beautiful area. I like living here,” Kornfeind, a Chicago native, said.
Everyone attending the record attempt will be invited to indulge in the dessert after the record is broken.
“Just a fun, wholesome, low-calorie, good time,” Kornfeind said.
Fry said Sysco Food Systems is providing the food for the dessert at cost. Warsaw Party Rental is a sponsor of the event.
Before the record attempt is the annual Cardboard Boat Regatta. The regatta takes place at 1 p.m., and will be about 1-1/2 hours.
The regatta will feature about eight or nine two-man boats made of only cardboard and duct tape. The Club supplies the paddles and some life jackets. Usually, Kornfeind said, there are 75 to 100 spectators.
The winner of the regatta receives $200, a three-foot trophy and two seafood dinners from the Club.
Anyone interested in competing in the regatta can call 574-453-4441 to sign up.
