OUR VIEW: Students, arts group make record book
THE ISSUE: Lincoln Log structure officially makes Guinness World Records OUR VIEW:Partnership between CHAOS and students made the project a success During its few years of existence, Community House of Arts in Ottawa has made quite the splash. Many weekends throughout the year, CHAOS organizes a variety of events designed to give exposure to the arts in Ottawa. Children's plays, dessert art auctions and a pumpkin monster building contest were just some of the events put on by CHAOS this past year. But last week the group earned worldwide exposure. The Guinness World Records accepted the nonprofit's submission for the tallest structure built with Lincoln Logs. The 10-foot, 11-inch structure was built March 20, 2010, at Jeremiah Joe Coffee in downtown Ottawa. To apply, CHAOS needed to take photos of the structure and provide a time lapse video, have a certified surveyor measure the structure and provide three witness statements and any newspaper articles covering the event. Much credit also should be extended to Ottawa Township High School students, specifically the technology student association. It was not just a matter of stacking the logs until the students ran out of steam. Such a project takes skill and planning. Then-OTHS seniors Jack Miller and Travis Walker designed the structure. Originally drawing up a 6-by-6-foot walk-in structure, the duo scaled the project down to stay within their supply of logs and changed the goal from building the largest to the tallest. To practice, OTHS computer-aided design teacher Ed Frankenberger said students built three 8-foot trial structures in the classroom. The community was invited to participate in the project by watching the erection of the structure, donating Lincoln Logs and even participating in a contest to win the chance to knock over the logs. On April 18, 2010, Drue French of Naplate won the chance to knock over the structure after his grandmother purchased 26 raffle tickets for the opportunity. Community House of Arts in Ottawakept the nearly 3,000 logs from the record-breaking sculpture, and hopes are it can be rebuilt and housed at Ottawa Township High School. The success of the project and worldwide recognition is in large part due to the OTHS students' creativity and talent, combined with the project brainstorming of CHAOS members. We look forward to CHAOS' future endeavors and encourage residents to check out some of their events. |
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