It took more than 1,500 volunteers collectively contributing over 2,500 work hours to hand pack 1.6 million pounds of sand and water and make Jarrett’s Castle at Winding Trails in Farmington, Connecticut the World’s Tallest Sandcastle. Originally built at 38 feet, would you know that a little bluebird decided to perch on top and started scraping away to reduce the height by 2 full inches? Guinness World Records now officially lists the height at at 37 feet 10 inches. Thanks a lot, little bluebird!
PRESS RELEASE
Jarrett's Sandcastle at Winding Trails in Farmington, Connecticut Is World's Tallest
Guinness World Records Declares Jarrett’s Castle the World’s Tallest Sandcastle
Neither perching bluebirds, nor thunder, nor threatening tornadoes could topple this structure, now officially certified by Guinness World Records as the Tallest Sandcastle. At 37 feet, 10 inches tall, the structure was built to raise money for mulitple charities and remains open for public viewing until June 30th in Farmington, Connecticut.
Farmington, CT (PRWEB) June 09, 2011
Guinness World Records today certified Jarrett’s Castle at Winding Trails in Farmington as the World’s Tallest Sandcastle. The official height of the record is 37 feet, 10 inches, more than two inches shorter than the height surveyed by F.A. Hesketh & Associates, Inc. of East Granby when the wooden forms were removed back on May 20. The shortened height is courtesy of a bluebird who adopted the top of the sandcastle’s spire as its new favorite perch.
“When we noticed that little bluebird scraping away at the top of the sandcastle and the local meteorologists began to project daily thunderstorms, we scrambled to compile and send our documentation to Guinness World Records so we could have the height certified before the castle became any shorter,” says Ed Jarrett, who has now broken his own Guinness World Record for the Tallest Sandcastle twice – his previous record was 31 feet, six inches back in 2007. “I cannot possibly express enough gratitude to the more than 1,500 volunteers who collectively contributed over 2,500 work hours to hand pack 1.6 million pounds of sand and water and make this dream a reality. Farmington, Connecticut is now officially the home of the World’s Tallest Sandcastle.”
Special events have been planned to celebrate the achievement of the Guinness World Record and continue raising money for the project’s charities – Save Walton Pond at Winding Trails, Special Olympics Connecticut, Gifts of Love, New Horizons, and UCONN Children’s Cancer Fund. On Saturday, June 18th from 9:00 a.m.-noon, there will be a “Princess & Pirate Parade” for children to come to the sandcastle in costume and participate in crafts, face painting, digging for buried treasure, and more. On Friday, June 24th from 7:00-11:00 p.m., there will be an adults-only “Booty Bash,” a costume party with live music, food, a cash bar, and a treasure hunt for loot donated by local merchants.
The sandcastle remains open for public viewing daily from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. until June 30, 2011. The entry fee is $10 per car load. In addition to viewing the sandcastle, visitors may participate in a scavenger hunt, called “Ed’s Expedition,” by locating specific items Jarrett sculpted into the castle design over the past two weeks. Official Jarrett’s Castle t-shirts and special edition “Sand-Tastic Soda” in partnership with New Britain-based Avery’s Soda will be available for purchase, with proceeds also going toward the charities.
In 2003, Jarrett built a sandcastle 29 feet, three inches tall, breaking the Guinness World Record for the Tallest Sandcastle for the first time and taking bragging rights from Finland. In 2007, he broke his own record, sculpting a castle 31 feet, six inches tall and raising more than $100,000 for charity at the same time. Never satisfied, he sought to build a castle at least 35 feet tall and raise even more money for charitable organizations.
Sponsors include: Dunning Sand & Gravel, which donated all the sand required for the project; Rich Wright Productions, which is producing a documentary film about Jarrett’s quest for the Guinness World Record; Sanford and Hawley, which provided lumber, fencing, and an entry gate; WardComm Public Relations and Sharon Mayock Graphic Design for marketing and public relations; Kostin Ruffkess; the Farmington Field Club; and Flaggstead Smokehouse BBQ Restaurant.
For more information, visit http://www.tallestsandcastle.com. Jarrett’s Castle is also on Facebook and Twitter.