WPAQ and the city of Mount Airy are busy making plans to put Mount Airy on the map once again, this time as the home of a world record.

The radio station contacted the people with Guinness World Records to get permission to try to set a new world record for the number of people doing the Twist, the dance made famous by the Chubby Checker song, simultaneously.

“The radio station, in conjunction with the city and a number of other agencies, has gotten permission to try to break the world record,” said Brack Llewellyn, a radio personality with the station. “We’re going to need lots of participation from Mount Airy and the surrounding areas.”

In order to break the record, Llewellyn and the rest of the committee need to get at least 2,000 people doing the Twist simultaneously for five minutes. While the location has not been determined for the Sept. 9 event, Llewellyn did say it would be part of an end-of-summer dance party.

“Everyone is invited,” he said. “We’re seeking at least 2,000 people to participate. We also need a lot of volunteers.”

The standing Guinness World Record for the largest Twist dance featured 1,692 participants at the 17th annual Glendale Cruise Night in Glendale, Calif., in 2010.

In order to try for the record, Mount Airy has to have a professional in the field of the record. Joey Marion, a local resident who majored in dance in college, will be that person for the city. Llewellyn said he hopes to have Marion create an instructional video for proper Twist-ing technique prior to the event.

“We’re very excited. Hopefully it’s going to be good and bring a lot of attention to the surrounding area,” said Llewellyn.

If the city meets the challenge and breaks the record, it will be featured in the 2013 Guinness Book of World Records.

Contact Morgan Wall at mwall@mtairynews.com or 719-1929.