Organizers Ready to Make Record Popcorn Ball
06-14-16
The Sac Sun, 14 June 2016, p. 1
We're just days away from making history for the fourth time, as Sac City gets ready to make a collasal popcorn ball.
Organizers from the Popcorn Ball Committee have been busy for weeks now, coordinating efforts to make a popcorn ball that could tip the scales at over 10,000 pounds!
In recent days, news articles have appeared in newspapers and websites across Iowa, including The Des Moines Register, as word spreads of this effort to reclaim the world record. Word continues to spread across television and radio stations as well. The World's Largest Popcorn Ball page on Facebook has seen a lot of activity over the last few weeks as well.
Work began on building the building that will house the popcorn ball at the Sac City Museum on Saturday. They plan to continue building tonight (Tuesday) and Wednesday, and have the building finished in time for the arrival of the popcorn ball. More help is needed to make sure it gets done in time. If you'd like to help, show up at the Sac City Museum those nights, a little before 6 p.m.
Lundell Plastics put the finishing touches on the mold that will hold the popcorn ball last week. It will be at Noble Popcorn in time for the making of the popcorn ball.
The making of the popcorn ball itself is scheduled to get started at about 6 a.m. on Saturday, June 18. Noble Popcorn personnel will start popping the corn, and getting all the ingredients ready. They will be ready for volunteers after 8 a.m. to start putting the popcorn ball together.
Noble Popcorn staff estimate that more than 2,300 pounds of popcorn, along with 2,500 pounds of dried corn syrup, 4,900 pounds of sugar, and lecithin additive plus some water weight will push the popcorn ball over 10,000 pounds.
The mold from Lundell Plastics is too wide to fit inside the Noble Popcorn building, so it will be placed outside. Those helping to make the popcorn ball will carry the sticky popcorn from inside the building to the mold outside, and add it to the popcorn ball. A tent has been ordered to keep the sun and rain off the popcorn ball while it is being built.
It's expected to be an all day event at Noble Popcorn, located on North 13th Street. If you would like to help with the making of the popcorn ball, stop in any time during the day. Organizers suggest that you wear clothes and shoes that you don't mind getting sticky and gooey, as there will most likely be a sticky mess to work with throughout the day.
There will be concessions on hand throughout the day at Noble Popcorn so that workers and those onlookers watching the process can eat and drink during a warm summer's day.
Throughout the day, organizers are hoping that a parade of dignitaries will show up to help in the process. They've invited everyone from Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey to Governor Branstad, Senators Grassley and Ernst, Rep. Steve King, and others to join in the fun.
They expect that there will be news media from radio, newspapers, television and others on hand to watch as this popcorn ball is made. It's even possible that a late night television show might come and join in the fun, though that has not been confirmed.
The popcorn ball has been a great attraction for Sac City in the past, and organizers are hoping this new one will continue to bring in the people to see what Sac City has to offer. They encourage everyone to join in the fun this Saturday as Sac City tries to set a new world record in the stickiest, most fun way possible.
