Hug a tree in Waxhaw to help set a world record Sunday

Attention hippies, environmentalists and anyone interested in helping break a world record. The town of Waxhaw wants you to hug a tree this weekend for 60 seconds.

As part of its annual Autumn Treasures festival, the town is hoping to attract up to 1,000 people to hug a tree on the grounds of a local church, said Lisa Hoffman, events and promotions manager for the Union County town.

The current record for “ largest tree hug,” according to Guinness World Records, was set by 936 people in Portland, Ore., in July 2013.

About 100 people so far have signed up to participate, Hoffman said. But she is hopeful a lot more will register while attending the popular fall festival on Sunday before the 3:30 p.m. start of the group hug.

People may register between noon and 3 p.m. Sunday in front of Waxhaw United Methodist Church, 200 McDonald St., Waxhaw.

There are plenty of trees to hug on the church grounds, Hoffman said, including some that could take well over a dozen people to surround. Participants can’t touch hands when they hug a tree, however.

The event will be videotaped for Guinness as part of Waxhaw’s submission. Hoffman is hopeful the hug will hit the world-record book.

“We’ll try our best,” she said.

This story was originally published October 10, 2014 at 2:26 PM with the headline "Hug a tree in Waxhaw to help set a world record Sunday."