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Gingerphobes had best avoid Pioneer Courthouse Square on Aug. 17. They'll be outnumbered.
It's the Redhead Event, an attempt by Portland software engineer Rusty Weise and Sammamish, Wash., photographer Anne Lindsay to break the Guinness World Records' mark for the most natural redheads gathered in one place.
Lindsay organized a 2010 record-setting event with 890 carrottops. The group's new goal: 1,256, to eclipse the number at a redheads gathering in the Netherlands last fall.
The event, which starts at 11 am (and not at dawn, which strikes us as something of a missed opportunity), is also a fundraiser for the Skin Cancer Foundation. Skin cancer and melanoma are diseases "to which redheads and fair skinned are especially susceptible," organizers note.
This is hardly the first redheaded pride event in PDX. The annual Pedalpalooza bike swarm called the Ginger Ride has attracted more than 200 participants.
In a publicity effort that in no way suggests a political cult intent on taking over Portland, the organizers are recruiting every redhead they see on the street.
"The Event is also using volunteers referred to as 'Red-presentatives' to distribute business cards to every redhead they encounter," the website explains, "and asking them to become 'red-cruters' for other redheads."
Admission rules are strict: a $10 fee and a photo of yourself as a redheaded child.
Organizers say non-ginger parents may accompany their redheaded kids for the group photo—but must hide from the camera.
WWeek 2015