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Darien Officially Breaks World Record For Longest Arm-Linked Toast

DARIEN, Conn. -- Darien is now in the Guinness Book of World Records after 558 people of all ages from throughout the community joined together Saturday to form the world's largest arm-linked toast.

Darien residents take a sip after toasting each other during the world's longest arm-linked toast.

Darien residents take a sip after toasting each other during the world's longest arm-linked toast.

Photo Credit: Casey Donahue
Members of the Darien community line up and prepare to toast for the world record attempt.

Members of the Darien community line up and prepare to toast for the world record attempt.

Photo Credit: Casey Donahue
Darien residents toast during their attempt to break the world record.

Darien residents toast during their attempt to break the world record.

Photo Credit: Casey Donahue
Guinness adjudicator Michael Empric announces that Darien has broken the world record.

Guinness adjudicator Michael Empric announces that Darien has broken the world record.

Photo Credit: Casey Donahue
Darien residents celebrate the fact that they broke the Guinness World Record for longest arm-linked toast.

Darien residents celebrate the fact that they broke the Guinness World Record for longest arm-linked toast.

Photo Credit: Casey Donahue
Members of the Darien Youth Commission, who organized the event, along with Michael Empric and the Blue Wave mascot.

Members of the Darien Youth Commission, who organized the event, along with Michael Empric and the Blue Wave mascot.

Photo Credit: Casey Donahue

The feat was accomplished at Darien Town Hall, where members of the Darien Youth Commission organized community participants into a long chain in the gymnasium.

Each person was facing the opposite direction of the two people on his or her sides, and linked arms at the elbows. The residents then toasted small bottles of water to break the old record of only 495 people.

"It was so exciting," said Alicia Sillars, youth director of Darien and one of the main organizers of the event. "The kids get the first line of credit. The town gets the second line of credit."

After a practice run, the community performed their toast for real, with Youth Commission volunteers tallying up the total number of participants. After discounting those who spilled, broke the chain or didn't take a drink, Guinness adjudicator Michael Empric declared that Darien had broken the record.

After trying to decide which record to break, Sillars said the Youth Commission decided on the arm-linked toast because it was something that could involve a large number of people.

"It's multi-generational. It involves all sectors of the community," she said. "It isn't just the kids, anybody could participate, young or old."

Sillars said she had been confident that the record would be broken.

The event also served as a food drive for Person-to-Person's food pantry. Participants were asked to bring along nonperishable foods, which were then donated. Sillars said most of the people who came to the record-breaking brought along food.

This is not the first time Darien has broken a Guinness World Record. In 2011 students at Darien High School broke the record for most people standing on one foot at the same time.

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