The Youth Activity Team stands in front of the 40.32 mile chain of pennies laid across the Fort Scott Middle School parking lot, after breaking two world records, Saturday morning for the presentation of two Guinness World Records achievement certificates. The first record obtained by Fort Scott residents and YAT officials was for laying 1 mile of pennies end-to-end in 2 hours, 23 minutes, 1 second. The second was for the 40.32 mile chain -- over five miles longer than the previous record. -- Jason Silvers/Tribune Photo [Click to enlarge]

As many Fort Scott residents know, the Youth Activity Team has been charging up the community for almost 14 weeks in preparation for the July 7-11 attempt at breaking two world records. Many also know that these attempts turned into successes Thursday night and Saturday morning, when the YAT first laid 1 mile of pennies in 2 hours, 23 minutes, one second, then completed a chain of pennies stretching more than 40 miles.

The event was one of several scheduled in an attempt to raise funds for a major renovation project for Ellis Park in Fort Scott.

The aerial view of Fort Scott's 40.32 mile chain of pennies, laid by local residents and the Youth Activity Team in the Fort Scott Middle School parking lot, Friday afternoon as it began nearing completion. -- Rayma Silvers/Tribune Photo [Click to enlarge]

After hundreds of Fort Scott residents laid more than four million pennies in the Fort Scott Middle School parking lot for nearly five days, all but sixteen were laid at 2:58 a.m. Saturday. Then, at approximately 9:50 a.m., Saturday, YAT officials returned to the site to lay the final sixteen pennies. With this act, Fort Scott found itself the holder of a Guinness World Record.

Two days prior, another record was obtained by the community when a group, rotating in and out as teams of eight, laid one mile of pennies, one minute, 13 seconds faster than the previous record holders.

The big question now is: After all the excitement brought on by this event and national attention it received, what is next?

YAT officials answered this question at a Bourbon County Fair Board meeting last week when they announced a country western concert slated to take place in October.

According to YAT Co-convener Diana Mitchell, the concert is being sponsored by Fort Scott native Adam LaRoche, and will feature the vocal talent of Jason Aldene and Luke Bryan.

The concert is also scheduled to accompany several rodeo events.

The renovation to Ellis Park is expected to cost about $4 million and is slated to include a miniature golf course, batting cages, a walking trail and several other facilities. The recent penny collecting efforts raised $34,000 of this money -- the necessary seed money to begin applying for government grants according to Fort Scott Community College President and YAT Co-convener Clayton Tatro.

Tatro said at the fair board meeting that the Aldene/Bryan concert could raise as much as $250,000 -- enough to purchase the miniature golf course and possibly batting cages.

Beyond the current project of raising funds for Ellis Park, Mitchell hinted in a previous interview that the program may not disappear once the facility is finished.

"Do you think this is ever going to end," she said. "I don't know, but I hope not. Pennies for the Pool -- it has a nice sound to it, doesn't it?"