STO. TOMAS – Residents here celebrated the town’s new world record having the longest barbecue grill measuring 3,803.96 meters (12,480 feet two inches) on Thursday.
“The massive meal took more than 3,500 cooks to prepare,” a government official said adding that the event is contained at page 113 of the 2010 book edition of the Guinness World Records (The Book of the Decade).
In 2008, this little town of Pangasinan made the world record during the town’s centennial celebration. The townspeople grilled white glutinous corn harvested from their corn farms.
Last year, they erected a 13-feet high white corn replica in front of the town hall.
This year, Mayor Vivien Villar and Vice Mayor Timoteo Villar III led the celebration for “a very meaningful gift.”
During the simple Corn Festival held on Wednesday, the mayor presented to her townmates a copy of the 2010 Guinness book and showed to them page 113 where their record is printed.
As it is the town’s 102nd founding anniversary, they grilled corn at the 102 grills set up at the Poblacion area. The San Antonio National High School street dancing troupe gave entertainment while everybody ate grilled corn.
In the evening, the locals trooped to the municipal auditorium and watched an acrobatic show sponsored by former fifth district Board Member Dionisio Villar Jr.
On the same page with Sto. Tomas town’s Longest Barbecue record were other world records such as the Largest Sticker, the Largest Donation Can, Fastest Text Message, Most Diabetes Readings, Highest Owners Occupancy (Country), Largest Earning Sanctuary, Fastest Game of Hopscotch, Fastest Growing City, Largest Exporter of Rice, Largest Observatory Wheel and others.
The 2008 event was the town’s first try for the world record. Corn was planted several months before the fiesta.
The vice mayor supervised the several dry runs held from setting up of the grills, placing of the charcoal to lighting it up (all timed) down to actual grilling, position of grillers, supervisors, marshalls, and documentation team.
After all the requirements were transmitted to the Guinness World Records office in London, the officials here patiently waited and prayed for the result of their attempt.
The town’s world record set in 2008 remains to be unbeaten to date. (LCMY/Sunnex)