Town thinks it set a record for Groucho disguises

GORHAM (AP) – Residents hoping to make their way into the “Guinness Book of Records” donned Groucho Mar disguises – 1,489 altogether.

The number of people wearing the glasses with oversized nose, eyebrows and mustache at the Gorham Family Fair surpassed the record held by a rugby league in Australia by 52, said Cindy Hazelton, director of Gorham Recreation.

“You get these zany ideas and you throw it out there, and you never know how people are going to respond,” Hazelton said. “I think it’s just a hoot.”

The town considered other records including simultaneous tooth-brushing before opting to take the Groucho route to fame.

Using donated money, the Recreation Department ordered 2,016 sets of glasses, at 81 cents each. On Sunday, people attending the family fair put on the disguises when an official gave the word over the public-address system.

The previous record stood at 1,437 disguises. It was set on June 4, 2005, by members of the Toukley Hawks Junior Rugby League in the Australian state of New South Wales.


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