Bicentennial includes Guinness World Records title attempt

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SIDNEY — As part of the celebration of Shelby County’s Bicentennial, a Guinness World Records title attempt for the most people opening drink cans simultaneously has been scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019, at 9:30 a.m. The event will be held at Sidney Memorial Stadium, Shelby County Bicentennial Committee Chair Mike Barhorst has announced.

“As we considered finding an opportunity to set a Guinness World Records title, having the most people opening drink cans simultaneously made sense,” Barhorst stated. “The pop top can originated here, it is still manufactured here, and Stolle Machinery, the manufacturers of the equipment that makes the pop top cans is located here.”

“When I met with Stolle Machinery’s Director of Operations Erica Paul in 2017 and suggested the idea, I’m pretty sure she thought I was nuts,” Barhorst continued. “When I returned for a visit several months later, it turns out that she had taken the idea and run with it.”

“I knew that we wanted to be a part of Shelby County’s Bicentennial celebration,” Paul said. “Sponsoring this event made sense for a whole lot of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that Ralph Stolle and Stolle Machinery has been involved in the manufacture of pop-top cans since the beginning.”

Fourth Ward City Councilmember Steve Wagner has been tapped to serve as the chair of the Record Attempt Subcommittee. Wagner has been working with officials at Guinness World Records for several months. A Guinness World Records adjudicator will be on hand to verify the attempt.

“I have been meeting with Shelby County school officials to enlist their help to ensure that students from across the county will have the opportunity to participate in this once in a lifetime event,” Wagner stated. “We want to ensure that this is both an enjoyable and educational experience for the student participants,” Wagner continued. “It will certainly be an experience that they will remember for the rest of their lives.”

“Shelby County has more manufacturing jobs per capita than any other county in Ohio,” Shelby County Commissioner Bob Guillozet stated. Guillozet also serves as the co-chair of the Shelby County Bicentennial Committee.

“The Guinness World Records title attempt will provide the opportunity for students to learn about the important role manufacturing plays in the local economy,” Guillozet stated. “It will also provide them with the opportunity to learn a bit more about local career opportunities in manufacturing.”

Originally planned for this past May, the event was re-scheduled in an attempt to better accommodate academic schedules of students attending Shelby County Schools. Officials planning the Guinness World Records title attempt hope that all schools will have representatives at this memory-making event.

https://www.sidneydailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/47/2019/06/web1_BicentennialLogo-1-copy-1.jpg

Shelby County’s Bicentennial Record Attempt Subcommittee Chair Steve Wagner discusses the logistics of the Guinness World Records title attempt with Stolle Machinery’s Director of Operations Erica Paul during a meeting in her office earlier this year.
https://www.sidneydailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/47/2019/06/web1_PopCan-copy.jpgShelby County’s Bicentennial Record Attempt Subcommittee Chair Steve Wagner discusses the logistics of the Guinness World Records title attempt with Stolle Machinery’s Director of Operations Erica Paul during a meeting in her office earlier this year. Courtesy photo

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