Pulling a Record-Breaking All-Nighter at the Meadows

Somehow I always knew that if I were going to be associated with breaking a Guinness World Record, it would have something to do with food.

There is a story told in my family with great gusto and exponential exaggeration about me as a child that could easily foreshadow such an occurrence.

As the legend goes, I was a pudgy little tyke of about 6 years old. Playing in a kickball game during a family cookout, I drilled a hit over the hill in my grandmother’s yard.

When I reached first base, I promptly pulled a cheeseburger out of the pocket of my “husky” jeans, picked the lint off, and chomped away while celebrating my hit and waiting for the game to continue.

In retrospect, it’s equally difficult to believe that feat itself isn’t some sort of Guinness World Record as it is to believe I struggled with my weight for my entire childhood.

This weekend I am lucky enough to participate in a more legitimate and much morenoble attempt to break a Guinness World Record, as the Greater Washington Food Bank hosts on Friday and Saturday at .

This two-day event will celebrate the Greater Washington County Food Bank’s 30th Anniversary, with the Greater Washington County Food Bank attempting and succeeding to break the Guinness Book of World Records for the Most food collected in a 24 hour period at one location.

The Great American Food Drive will begin at 8 p.m. on Friday night with the official Kickoff Country Music Concert featuring the country band Lonestar, and run through 8:00 pm on Saturday night, followed by a celebration concert with the incomparable Donnie Iris after the announcement that the record has been broken.

My role as a volunteer will be to take a shift supervising the donations as they arrive, and my colleague State Rep. Brandon Neuman will be on hand for the all-important Friday midnight to 6 a.m. Saturday shift. I can’t say it’s the first time I’ve ever seen the sun come up while at a casino, but it will certainly be the most fulfilling.

The event is designed to be family friendly, so plan to spend the day with your family and friends at the Great American Food Drive’s Family Fun Day. There will be all kinds of things to see and do for kids and adults of all ages.

You can attempt reach the top of the climbing wall, or walk on over to Armed Forces Way and all the great military exhibits. Kids can have their face painted, or experience what it is like to be a farmer at the Young Farmers area. There will live entertainment, including the Supercyclers Unicycle Club and country music by the Saddle Tramps.

The Saturday Evening Celebration Concert will start with the announcement of the new Guinness World Record for the most food collected in 24 hours at one location.

The celebration continues with Pittsburgh’s own world famous rock legend Donnie Iris. After the celebration concert, a special celebration treat caps the evening’s activities with a fireworks show.

This event is the culmination of lots of hard work by countless volunteers and generous corporate partners too numerous to list here. The funds and food collected at this event will provide much needed food relief for the patrons of the Greater Washington County Food Bank, so please try to come out and make a small contribution while enjoying the festivities.

And if you happen to see someone who looks a lot like me pull a cheeseburger out of his pocket and take a celebratory bite, you will know the event was indeed a hit.