Indianola goes for record number of handprints

(John Gaps III/The Register)

Indianola, Ia. – The bikers will be gone tomorrow, but they’ll leave a lasting impression on the town square. In concrete, to be exact.

Local company Cemen Tech laid down fresh cement in an alley and invited folks to press in their hands. The goal? To earn a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records by creating new category: most handprints in wet cement.

Since it’s a brand new record, there was no specific number needed to make it in the book. The company estimated they could fit about 3,000 in the space. By 4 p.m., almost 700 people had taken part, and the bulk of the riders were just coming into town.

“It’s a big hit,” said Brad Ross, assistant sales manager for Cemen Tech. “We’ve been overwhelmed at the number of people who have elected to participate.”

Mike Long of Dallas, Tex. rode into town with his fiancé, Lynndah Paslay, an Iowa native who is on her fifth RAGBRAI. The two made it to Indianola in the afternoon and were among the first riders to put their hands, side-by-side, in the concrete.

“This is my first RAGBRAI, my first time putting my hands in concrete,” Long said with a smirk. “All the best things in my life are just beginning.”

Ross is confident that when the handprints dry, Indianola will be on the map for a while. He said Cemen Tech’s special truck, which mixes the ingredients of concrete as needed, made the feat possible.

“It would be very tough for someone else to do this type of event or to challenge it,” he said.

-L. Lars Hulsebus

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