Macon 'buzzing' over today's kazoo world record attempt
Macon getting ready for kazoo record attempt
There will be an attempt today to set a new Guinness World Record for kazoos in the city of Macon and proceeds from the attempt will go to the Otis Redding Foundation and Otis Redding Center for the Arts. Paul Milliken is in Macon.
MACON, Ga. - Have you heard the big buzz out of Macon? You will this afternoon… loud and clear!
Later this afternoon, thousands of people are expected to crowd into Macon’s Atrium Health Amphitheater to take part in a Guinness World Records attempt. The goal? Create the largest kazoo ensemble in history!
The current record for the largest kazoo ensemble is 5,190 people, set at the Royal Albert Hall in London back in 2011. But local leaders want to bring the record to Macon as a way to honor the Georgia city’s historical ties to the instrument. According to local legend, a previously enslaved Black inventor named Alabama Vest created the kazoo in Macon in the 1840s, initially building the instrument out of a wooden tube with an attached piece of paper. The story goes that Vest brought his invention to local clockmaker Thaddeus Von Clegg, and the two officially debuted the creation at the Georgia State Fair in Macon in 1852, calling it a "Down South Submarine."
That story, by the way, is currently being told in a pop-up exhibit at the Tubman African American Museum in Macon, which will remain on view through April 1. Participants in the world record attempt are encouraged to stop by and see the exhibit before heading over to the Atrium Health Amphitheater for the big event; venue gates open at 4:00 p.m., and the attempt begins two hours later.
Diamond Dogs in Macon
The Diamond Dogs are performing at the Cherry Blossom Festival this weekend in Macon. Paul Milliken had a chance to talk them for a few minutes on Friday morning.
Tickets to participate in the Guinness World Records attempt are $5 per person, and all proceeds will go to the Otis Redding Foundation & Otis Redding Center for the Arts. And good news: Visit Macon will provide kazoos to everyone who attends—so no need to bring your own! The attempt will be facilitated by "Kazoo King" Rick Hubbard, owner of Kazoobie Kazoos and an accomplished kazoo performer in his own right.
For more information on today’s big event in Macon, click here. And click the video player in this article to check out our morning in Macon, helping kick off the festivities ahead of the world record attempt!