CINCINNATI — A good way to cool off from the extreme heat wave is by taking a trip to the water park. As an added bonus, people in Cincinnati have the chance to set a world record at Coney Island.
Katie Buchmann and her eight-year-old daughter, Audrey, were the first people in line in an attempt to break a world record.
“Audrey is obsessed with the slides, she loves them,” Katie said. “We live on the slides all summer long. When she heard about the record, she had to be a part of it and had to be first in line.”
After a quick climb up to the top of the twister water slide, and a brief wait, it came time to be a part of history.
With no hesitation, the Buchmann’s were the first non-local celebrity family down the slide in a world record attempt.
Coney Island Assistant Brand Manager Marley Wallace said this was more than two years in the making.
“We wanted to do something fun and different for our guests here and we started researching new ideas for special events... and we came across world record attempts,” Wallace said. “We thought, why not do it as big as possible? If we’re doing it, we’re going all out.”
Coney Island will be open for 24 hours from 12 p.m. on Friday until 12 p.m. on Saturday. The goal is to send as many people as possible down the green slide. If they do that, it should be a record.
“We’re hoping for four digits, so that’s our goal.” Wallace said. “We’ll see if we get there, fingers crossed.”
Being a part of the record attempt also comes with some perks.
"Everybody who slides down the world record slide — the green twister water slide — will get a ticket to return in the 2022 season,” Wallace said. “So that's already a great benefit there, especially if you come between midnight and 10 a.m. It's free entry during that time, so you can come get free entry, don't pay anything, plus get a ticket to return to the 2022 season. It's a great deal.”
The Buchmanns are just happy to have some summer fun as a family. They say being part of the record is a bonus.
“I love them being a part of something that’s so monumental,” Katie said. “World record! Yay!”
UPDATE: According to a Facebook post from Coney Island the park closed down due to security concerns.
"Tonight Coney Island canceled its world record attempt due to security concerns," according to the post. "The safety of all of our guests and crew members is always our first priority. We thank everyone for their understanding and cooperation."
Cincinnati police said in a statement that the crowd behavior led to the park cancelling the event shutting down.