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GREENSBORO, N.C. -- What do 975 lb. Jon Brower Minnoch, eight-ft. 11.1 inch Robert Pershing Wadlow, and Englishtown, New Jersey's Amusements of America have in common?
Each makes an appearance in the 1994 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records. All three set records for being the absolute largest of their kind in the world. "We're extremely proud of having made it into the Guinness Book," says Dominic Vivona, one of the five Vivona brothers who own and operate Amusements of America. "It's a true honor for all of us."
"We're the first carnival ever to have made it in there," adds Ron Weber, Amusements of America's marketing director. "They've never even had that category before. They've had circuses, but never carnivals. There's a whole complicated process to make it in there. They're very serious about it. You have to document everything you own. Now it's right there in black and white for everyone to see."
The listing reads as follows: "The largest travelling amusement park or carnival in the United States is Amusements Of America, which encompasses a route of over 18,000 miles with a yearly attendance of over six million people."
And unlike their fellow Guinness Book entrants, the late heavy guy John Brower Minnoch and the late tall guy Robert Pershing Wadlow. Amusements of America is very much alive and continues to grow bigger and bigger.
"It's actually over eight million people per year now, instead of six million," clarifies Weber. "We've already grown a lot since that information was given to the Guinness people. And that figure is just fairs. We play over a hundred dates a year. We...