Cedar Rapids Downtown Farmers Market plans event to break world record for cereal breakfast

CEDAR RAPIDS — One of the city’s biggest markets for fresh fruits and vegetables is scaling up to celebrate a slightly more processed breakfast of champions.

The Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, organizer of the seasonal Cedar Rapids Downtown Farmers Market, will attempt to break the world record for the largest cereal breakfast on Sept. 20.

The attempt to break the world record requires 2,000 volunteers, who are encouraged to pre-register at cedarrapids.org to smash bowls of Captain Crunch in unison. The current Guinness World Records holder for largest attendance of a cereal breakfast is Daher International Food Company/Poppins in Lebanon, which accomplished the feat in October 2016.

“Cereal is a really important economic driver for our economy,” said Jenn Draper, event contractor for the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance. “We would like to be owning the ‘Cereal Capital of the World’ title a little more officially. This is our attempt at starting that.”

Quaker Oats’ plant in downtown Cedar Rapids, founded in 1873, is the largest cereal mill in the world. Quaker Oats, a sponsor of the Sept. 20 market, has been sponsoring the Downtown Farmers Market since its early years in the mid-2000s.

“It seemed like kismet on their sponsor day,” Draper said.

The event comes at the suggestion of Eric Hanson and Clare Duffy, co-hosts of Z102.9’s “The Morning Scramble.” The radio personalities, who helped Cedar Rapids Kernels mascot Mr. Shucks break a record for largest gathering of people wearing conical party hats in July, suggested a cereal event during their on-air brainstorming earlier this year.

“We said hey, if you want to do one at the farmers market, we’re game,” Draper said.

Like the record at Mr. Shucks’ birthday party, the cereal eating record will be unofficial without certification from Guinness World Records. The cost for Guinness World Records to officiate an event can tally over $10,000 for companies pitching a record-breaking event given consulting fees, licensing fees and travel costs, the KZIA hosts told The Gazette.

However, Draper said a successful event this year could lead to upping the ante next year by making it an official record and pairing it with another cereal celebration.

To participate, pre-register at cedarrapids.org/events/detail/eventid13389. Pre-registered attendees will be prioritized for participation. If registrants do not show up, farmers market patrons will be recruited to help fill in and break the record.

Participants must:

The event in Greene Square Park will start at 10 a.m.

Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or elijah.decious@thegazette.com.

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