In SW Florida two island communities got together and achieved a milestone. On June 21, 2018 just after noon, one thousand and ninety three local participants from several communities made The Guinness Book of World Records.
The world renowned and official book of world records declared the two island communities of FMB and Sanibel the covenant award of having the largest Human Image of A Seashell in the world. The event was hosted by the Lee County Visitor and Convention Bureau. Both Ft Myers Beach and Sanibel attract lots of visitors who hunt for unique seashells that wash up onto their shores.
Maureen Scopel, who is the associate editors for “You, Me and The Dock”, was one of the lucky participants who registered beforehand and made the cut. She got up early and was instructed to report to the Outrigger Beach Resort between 6:30 and 8:30 am.
Hats off to the Outrigger for offering to accommodate all the participants, the organizers and their staff, and all the spectators who witnessed this exciting event.
Maureen hung out and visited with other willing - record setting participants. As you can see, the wave of blue shirts far out number the white shirts. The blue shirts will be the inner body and the outline of the ‘Seashell’. The white shirts will be part of the seashell’s accented features.
Maureen was originally assigned a blue shirt. But eventually was asked if she wouldn’t mind wearing a white shirt. She graciously agreed to accept the exchange!
Before, during and after the event, there were several vendors marketing their goods and services. These seashell guitars were quite the attraction. Shell guitar picks and all!
There were several aquatic related organizations who attended the event. The one - pictured right, was displaying a turtle skull. They also shared information that will help these ocean going reptilians survive their mistreated environment.
The organizers started to gather zones of people to form what is to be a ‘Banded Tulip’ seashell. They had to work from the outside in. One of the hardest parts of all this was to mimic a spiral effect of the shell.
Looking at the plan straight on, Maureen was located in the white section - bottom left, second from the top. You can faintly see the blue dot that represents where she needed to stand.
In no way is it easy to get almost eleven hundred people to stand in their designated spots. There is obviously some confusion no matter how much planning you do. There was a shuffle here, a shuffle there, and few reassignments. But all in all, it slowly and surely came together.
Maureen’s small group of 8 - shown left, knew pretty much where they needed to be. Larger groups had to position themselves around Maureen’s group. Once everyone occupied their assigned areas, it was game on!
It became official! The Guinness Book of world Records granted the event as being “The Largest Human Image of a Seashell”. Another one in the books for the communities of Ft Myers Beach and Sanibel Island! Congratulations to everyone who participated!
These type of activities are what brings people together. Working to accomplish a common goal is what we all need. When an opportunity like this presents itself, jump in and become a contributor. Succeed or fail, you will thank yourself in the end!
Author: Anthony Scopel
Photography: Maureen Scopel*
Article Creation & Formatting: Anthony Scopel
Associate Editor: Maureen Scopel
Technical Mastering & Web Support: Matt Kemper
Publisher: You, Me and The Dock
* The aerial photo was given to Maureen for her participation in the event courtesy of The Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau
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