The popcorn ball was 7 feet in diameter and weighed about 5,500 pounds, but it didn't seem big enough to young Charles Roberts.
"I thought it would be bigger," the 10-year-old West Jordan Cub Scout said after the "world's biggest" popcorn ball was moved on stage at the Salt Palace Tuesday afternoon.Roberts, son of Cary W. and Cherrie Roberts, was among Great Salt Lake Council Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts and their leaders attending a Popcorn Rally in the exhibition hall.
The boy's parents are volunteer chairmen for the popcorn sale in the White Buffalo District in West Jordan. Many other Scouting districts, including some in Tooele County, also participated in the rally, held during the council's annual popcorn sale.
Popcorn sales are held each year to raise funds for Scouting. Boys also win prizes and "Scout bucks," which may be redeemed at council service centers.
The Scouts who attended to view and to increase the size of the huge caramel popcorn ball are in the midst of their sale. Cliff "Rip" Rippetoe, Salt Palace general manager, is chairman.
Salt Lake City was the 14th stop among 50 U.S. and Canadian cities, where as many as 25,000 Scouts will have participated in adding to the size of the popcorn ball. It is scheduled to reach Indianapolis Nov. 1, according to Scott Adams.
He works in the marketing department of the Trails End division of Weaver Popcorn Co., Van Buren, Ind. The company supplies popcorn for the Scouts' sale and for the popcorn ball, stuck together by a mixture of corn syrup and sugar.
According to the 1997 Guinness Book of World Records, the previous record for a giant popcorn ball (2,377 pounds) was held by a group of LaCrosse, Wis., Boy Scouts.
By the time the popcorn ball reaches Indianapolis, it is expected to weigh about 8,000 pounds. The popcorn ball travels in a customized, 53-foot-long trailer along with popcorn poppers and a mini kitchen.
A number of varieties of popcorn, including popping corn, caramel corn and microwave butter light popcorn, were for sale Tuesday at the event, said Gary Adams, a Scouting field director. Boys also had an opportunity to shoot basketball hoops and to participate in other activities.
JoAnn Graves, a first-grade teacher at Jackson Elementary School and a Cub Scout leader in the Rose Park area, brought boys in her Cub Scout den to the Palace Tuesday.
"Scouting teaches lifelong skills that boys need. It builds on character (traits) they bring to Scouting. It is also a good way for them to socialize in a non-threatening environment," Graves said.
Kelli Nelson and Terri Trowbridge, Cub Scout leaders in Bountiful, brought a group of five boys, Stephen Welling, Jacob Nelson, Jordan Maxwell, Nathan Higgs and Ben Barrus, to the rally. Kelli Nelson snapped pictures of the younsters as they swayed to music blaring from nearby exhibition hall speakers.
It was hard to tell who was having the most fun - the leaders or their young charges.