Two Concord men face ups and downs in their quest for glory
CONCORD, CA (June 2, 2021) — Two men in Concord have set out on a quest with a lot of ups and downs. Chuck Walker and his good friend Mike Hartshorn plan to break a world record that Walker himself set 50 years ago.
Walker was 18 when he and Stan Johnson, age 20, set the record for longest consecutive hours riding a teeter totter.
It was 1971 in Sacramento and the young men decided to make the attempt after seeing another attempt in southern California. They got a local hamburger chain to sponsor the event and built their own teeter totter.
They spent 216 consecutive hours rocking up and down and set a world record that still stands today. Writers on the TV show “The Brady Bunch” used their story as inspiration for an episode titled “The Teeter Totter Caper.”
Return to glory
But now Chuck Walker wants to break his own record. Walker said “I spent so many years remembering that record as a goofy stunt. I began to recall how much fun everyone had, especially the kids. Do it again? Surely my kids and grandkids would get a kick out of it as well, after all, they’ve been hearing about it all of their lives.”
The new teeter totter, actually looks fairly comfortable but they have a long way to go. The attempt started Thursday on the Todos Santos Plaza stage in downtown Concord. Walker and Hartshorn plan to stay on the teeter totter for 10 days. On July 10, Walker will get to relive the experience of breaking the record. And also get a chance to show his kids and grandkids he’s still got what it takes.
Stop by Todos Santos Plaza to check their progress from July 1 through 10. Or visit the event website here.