Market Square to host Summer Classic Cruise tonight
WOONSOCKET — After getting washed out by weather a week earlier, the Summer Classic Cruise is on again for this evening in Market Square – and so is city native Jennifer Jolicoeur’s drive to collect 5,000 more bras to set the Guinness World Record for the longest bra chain in history.
“The great magnitude of this extraordinary Athena’s Cup challenge needs everyone’s help here in 02895 and beyond to give it the powerful traction it needs to fully realize this awesome endeavor that ultimately impacts the many females and even the males in our lives,” said Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt. “Come one, come all to Market Square this Monday from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. for this free, family-fun event featuring a colorful array of beautiful classic cars of showroom quality, food trucks, a lively oldies DJ, and many activities for children such as Bwana Iguana Reptile Adventure, balloon animals and a bounce house. Truly, something for everyone.”
Throughout the event, Jolicoeur will be on-site accepting bra donations while stationed alongside her pepere’s classic 1958 silver Cadillac Coupe, featuring plush, bright red seats. Athena’s Cup will utilize its newly acquired bras to manually build an extensive bra chain that exceeds the current Guinness World Record of Australian nonprofit Citizens Who Care. In 2009, Citizens Who Care assembled 166,625 bras into a 101.7 mile-long chain.
To date, Athena’s Cup has stockpiled 195,000 bras but seeks to collect another 5,000 to ensure it strategically creates a difficult-to-defeat record for potential challengers. Jolicoeur estimates the assembled bra chain will likely extend 108 miles long.
Baldelli-Hunt and Jolicoeur have tentative agreed to reach for the record of Oct. 5 at River’s Edge Recreational Complex, but they’re still waiting for the folks at Guinness to confirm the arrangements. They’ll need personnel on hand to verify the results. A search for volunteers who can hook together the bras for the event is under way.
Jolicoeur established Athena’s Cup in 2009 after an employee of her Athena’s Home Novelties business was diagnosed with breast cancer. Jolicoeur expanded her Winter Street business headquarters to include the charitable entity’s operations. Proactively raising funds for breast cancer research and awareness activities is the primary purpose of Athena’s Cup.
Twelve months after forming, Athena’s Cup raised and donated $20,000 to the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Foundation.
“As a Woonsocket native, Jennifer intrinsically knows 02895 is where she will find the speed she needs to propel Athena’s Cup towards successfully achieving the Guinness World Record which it has been striving towards for years,” said Baldelli-Hunt. “Great August summer nights are still upon us so gather up unwanted bras and head to Market Square this Monday evening to help one of Woonsocket’s own make history.”
Meanwhile, the city has scheduled its final Summer Car Cruise event for Monday, Sept. 9. In case of rain, each car cruise event will be held the following Monday. Attendees are reminded that free parking is available within the city’s municipal lots.