The crowd of young and old paddleballers helped set a world record shortly after 11 a.m. Saturday. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

Updated Saturday 1:30 p.m.
By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

An estimated 356 people young and old, from Davidson and beyond, swarmed the Davidson Village Green Saturday to set an (unofficial) Guinness Book of World Records mark for the most people bouncing paddle balls at one time.

Watch a 4-minute video of the record, produced by DavidsonNews.net.

The record attempt was organized by Steve Langley of Huntersville, who performs as “The Great Fettuccini” and “The Paddleball King,” and recently set a Guinness record of his own for most paddle balls at once. He said Guinness Book of World Records officials set a minimum of 250 people to consider a record.

Steve Langley

Volunteers handed out free paddles to 300 people and others brought their own. Gatekeepers counted 356 people entering the paddleball pen, surrounded by plastic orange safety fencing.

“It went well, I think. We had a good turnout,” Mr. Langley said afterward. “We beat the number. … Definitely more than I expected. Everybody had fun. … Free family fun, that’s what it’s all about.”

The world record attempt was the highlight of the Saturday morning session of the 2011 Hurricane Hugo Juggling Festival, organized by the Lake Norman Jugglers. The festival brought jugglers to town from throughout the Southeast and beyond.

The Hurricane Hugo festival was scheduled to continue Saturday night at 7 with a Vaudeville Extravaganza show at Davidson College’s Duke Family Performance Hall, and wraps up Sunday with the juggling at the college union.

PREVIOUS STORY

Help set a world paddle ball record Sat. on the Green

Steve Langley (The Paddleball King) is organizing a world record paddle ball attempt.

Post Saturday, Sept. 3, 2011, 7:18 a.m.
Got a few minutes Saturday morning? Come out to the Davidson Village Green and join in an attempt to set a world record – for the most people hitting paddle balls at once. The paddle-ball gathering is part of this weekend’s Hurricane Hugo Juggling Festival in Davidson.

The festival continues through Sunday, and includes events all day Saturday, and the Vaudeville Extravaganza family variety show Saturday night. The festival is organized by the Lake Norman Jugglers and is held annual in remembrance of Hurricane Hugo, which sent plenty of objects flying through the air around here in 1989.

The world record attempt is scheduled around 10:30 a.m. on the Village Green, Main Street and Concord Road in Davidson. Steve Langley of Huntersville, known as “The Paddleball King” because he holds a Guinness Record for most paddleballs manipulated at one time, is organizing the effort.

This morning’s activities on the Village Green begin at 9 a.m., and will include juggling instruction and demonstrations. The record attempt is scheduled for 11 a.m. on the Davidson Village Green. You can join in by arriving on the Green at 10:30.

The first 250 people to sign up will be provided a paddleball and instructions on its use courtesy of sponsor Active People Toys. Participants can take the $12 paddleball home with them at no charge at the conclusion of the event.

Steve Langley is emcee of the Vaudeville Extravaganza. Ed Haponik will demonstrate his yo-yo prowess.

SATURDAY NIGHT EXTRAVAGANZA

The Vaudeville Extravaganza begins at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 3, in Davidson College’s Duke Family Performance Hall. The Great Fettucini (aka Steve Langley) will emcee the show and introduce a lineup of talented and mirthful entertainers.

They include two local stars of object manipulation. Austin Bruckner, a 15-year-old tenth grade juggler who attends the Community School of Davidson, will perform a fast-paced juggling routine with as many as seven objects. Star yo-yo tosser Ed Haponik, a science and physics teacher at Davidson Day School, will demonstrate equally fast-paced possibilities for manipulation of that prop.Others expected to perform include legendary and championship-winning juggler Tommy Curtin and mutiple award-winning comedy Magician Craig Stone.

General admission tickets for the family-friendly show are $10 for adults and $5 for youth under 12. Tickets can be purchased online anytime at www.davidson.edu/tickets, or by phone at 704-894-2135 from 10-4 weekdays. Proceeds from the show will benefit the Davidson College chapter of Building Tomorrow, a charity which builds schools in Africa.