The city of Moscow is looking to earn its place in “The Guinness Book of World Records” at the end of April.
University of Idaho students Carley O’Brien, left, and Steven Elsbury dance at CJ’s weekly county swing night. The swing dancing event taking place at 6 p.m. on April 26 outside CJ’s is free, but participants are asked to donate $5 that will be given to a family whose father has just been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer.
On April 26, Palouse residents will gather on Main Street in Moscow and attempt to break the world record for the largest country swing dance.
According to “The Guinness Book of World Records,” the current record for the largest country swing dance is 756 people — a record set in 2012.
However, the idea didn’t begin as a world record attempt. It began as a fundraiser to help Jeff Hinz, the football coach and a government teacher at Post Falls High School. He was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer last fall, said Zack Goytowski, the event organizer.
Goytowski is a graduate student at the University of Idaho and was both a football player and student under Hinz at Post Falls High School. The original idea was to throw a small fundraiser in order to raise money to help pay for Hinz’s medical treatments, he said.
Goytowski contacted Zane Larson, co-owner of the College Cabs taxi service in Pullman, and from there the idea grew.
Larson said Goytowski used to work for the taxi service and came to him looking for help getting sponsorship.
CJ’s Nightclub in Moscow already hosts a swing dancing night on Wednesdays, and Larson said he had been speaking with CJ’s owner Phil Roderick about the possibility of trying a record attempt when Goytowski approached him with the fundraiser idea.
“They said ‘If we’re gonna do this, why don’t we do it big?'” Goytowski said.
From there, the three set out to break a world record.
Goytowski has been hard at work trying to rally UI and Washington State University students to get participants for the record attempt.
Kelly Fisher is an ASUI senator and was a student of Hinz’s at Post Falls High School.
Fisher said Goytowski came to him about the fundraiser and Fisher was immediately onboard.
With the attempt a few weeks away, Fisher said he is hoping to get a bill through ASUI to provide some funding to help promote the event on the UI campus and around Moscow.
“I would like to see as many people there as possible. Not only to break the record, but to show Coach Hinz what he meant to his students and his players and his community,” Fisher said.
Goytowski said they are looking to get help from the Greek community at UI and WSU.
Adrian Gonzales is the WSU Greek Adviser and has been promoting the event.
“A lot of people I’ve talked to have been really into it,” Gonzales said.
Gonzales has been going to Greek houses finding volunteers to help break the record, manage the event and help with security, clean up and teardown crews.
Larson and College Cabs have also been promoting the event. He said they have ads running on the back of the headrests in all of their cabs to get people pumped for the record attempt.
“I see this as being something huge … something that can create a foundation to give back to people that need help in the area,” Larson said.
Goytowski said the fundraiser would not be possible without the main sponsors — CJ’s Nightclub, College Cabs and Zeppoz.
The record attempt will be held at 6 p.m. in front of CJ’s Nightclub on Main Street in Moscow. Larson said College Cabs will offer free transportation for people in Pullman to get to Moscow and back for the record attempt.
Only 758 participants in pairs of two are needed to break the current record, Goytowski said.
It doesn’t cost anything to participate in the event, but they are asking for $5 donations, which will go to the Spokane Cancer Care Northwest in Spokane to help Hinz pay for his medical bills.
The street in front of CJ’s will be closed to traffic for the attempt to take place, Goytowski said.
Goytowski also said that participants in the event will be able to register to get a certificate showing their contribution to the record, if it is indeed broken.
Jared Jonas can be reached at [email protected]