The city of Goodyear wants to see you move to the groove this 4th of July.

During its 9th annual Star Spangled 4th celebration, Goodyear is inviting the public to get on board and be part of The Largest Soul Train Dance.*

This will be Goodyear’s second attempt at a Guinness World Record. Last 4th of July, Goodyear was successful in their attempt to hold the Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people wearing false mustaches. 

There were 1,957 people who wore a false mustache to set a record for the largest group wearing them, surpassing the previous record of 1,532 fake mustaches worn at the Gilda’s LaughFest held in Grand Rapids, Michigan on March 7, 2013, according to Guinness World Records.

“We set an expectation by breaking a world record last year – we just had to attempt another one,” Debbie Diveney, business-operations supervisor of Goodyear Ballpark.

Image courtesy of The Huffington Post: http://huff.to/VnOyRg
This photo was taken at the Philadelphia World Record attempt.

Beginning at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 4, event organizers at the ballpark will start calling down people to begin lining up for the Soul Train. The Party Crashers will get the attempt underway with live music beginning at 7:30 p.m. Although there are expected to be several hundred people in the Soul Train dance, no more than two people can dance together along the Soul Train line.

The current record for the largest Soul Train dance is 291 people set by the Philadelphia Soul Train Line Dancers in Feb. 13, 2012 at the Art Museum in Philadelphia. The record took three and a half hours to complete.

“We believe we can smoke that record,” said Debbie Diveney, “Like last year’s Guinness World Record we set, this is one that involves group participation, which will be a lot of fun. We want everyone to be a part of the movement.”

Goodyear’s Star Spangled 4^th event, which averages about 15,000 attendees every year, is presented by Fry’s Food Stores and sponsored by Palm Valley Pediatric Dentistry, Dunn Orthodontics, West Valley Pediatric Dentistry, Snyder’s of Hanover Pretzels, the Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds. Other activities include the Wet Zone and Fun Zone with inflatable slides and bouncers, corn hole and a free photo booth. Food vendors will also be present in various locations throughout the event. Fireworks will start after dark.

Gates for the event open at 6 p.m. and Goodyear Mayor Georgia Lord, who will be accompanied by City Council members, will kick off the countdown to fireworks.

Admission and parking are free. Additional parking is available at Desert Edge High School, on Yuma Road, west of Estrella Parkway. Shuttle service to and from Desert Edge High School will run from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.

For more information, call (623) 882-3120 or visit www.goodyearbp.com

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*In case you forgot what a Soul Train Dance entails, this is the funky dance that requires those involved to form two lines with a space in the middle for dancers to strut their stuff and dance down the line in consecutive order.

By Martin Dickey, Special Event Division Manager, City of Glendale

Glendale has become a community known for its festivals. From its downtown holiday light display to a whole weekend dedicated to chocolate, the city’s festivals have garnered recognition around the state and the region. Annually, about 350,000 people visit Glendale to attend a festival. Attracting new and returning visitors to our city is the primary reason we plan these free, family-friendly festivals and continue to fund them moving forward. But the result of the decision to create these festivals nearly two decades ago is more complex than just bringing people here.

The benefits of putting on annual events like these are numerous. First and foremost is economic impact. In a 2010 International Festivals and Events (IFEA) study, it was determined that attendees’ spending at two weekend festivals contributed about $3 million annually to our economy. This represents the economic impact just two of our six annual events! Our festivals have not only branded our city as a visitor destination, but have also helped to revitalize our downtown. The independently-owned businesses that make up our downtown area have maintained their business through these events, and the area continues to attract high quality merchants. For example, a California couple visited during Glendale Glitters and loved the downtown so much that they opened a business here, a charming bed and breakfast in a historic building. Another business owner decided to open a hair and nail salon after attending one of the city’s signature events. Business owners know the amount of people that each festival brings will provide excellent exposure for them on an ongoing basis.

In addition, Glendale’s signature festivals give our residents and businesses a sense of pride in their community. People are proud of the city’s small town feel and many bring their out-of-town guests to the events. Other families make it their family tradition year after year. Some also have told us that they came as a child, and now they are bringing their children, so it truly has affected generations of our residents. Glendale’s festivals also play a role in giving back to the community. We partner with a civic organization that works our beverage sales for a portion of the proceeds which they, in turn, donate to many non-profit groups, students and other city programs that have a tremendous impact on residents.

Glendale Glitters

By Pete Wertheim, Communications and Public Affairs Manager

No Arizona event is as steeped in tradition and entertainment as the Prescott Frontier Days and World’s Oldest Rodeo™. This year marks the 126th anniversary of the rodeo and for seven days, July 1-7, Prescott will be consumed by thousands of residents and visitors who will enjoy one of the highest ranking rodeos in the country. More than 600 contestants will be riding, roping and racing to compete for payouts that exceed $250,000.

The rodeo is the largest attraction, but many also flock to downtown Prescott for the second largest parade in Arizona, a fine arts and crafts show, the rodeo dance and a Fourth of July all-day carnival with rides, freestyle motorcross, music and games ending with a spectacular fireworks display.

The Prescott Frontier Days and World’s Oldest Rodeo™ is one of the longest running and biggest Arizona attractions during the week of the Fourth of July. Its legendary status and grandeur earned the City of Prescott the nickname “summer capital of Arizona.”

Wild rodeo action amazes the fans

Thousands line the streets for the Prescott Frontier Days Parade