Hearse club hopes to set new Guinness World Record

FOWLERVILLE, Mich. (WLNS) – The Fowerville Fairgounds underwent a dramatic transformation Saturday as at least 176 hearses were on display at the 23 ^rd annual HearseFest rolled into town.

With hundreds of visitors checking out all sorts of hearses, the vehicle used in funeral processions to carry the deceased to a grave.

“It’s a bunch of various people from various backgrounds,” says Ron Duke, president of the Just Hearsing Around Car Club which sponsors the annual event. “The one thing that we have in common is we love these hearses.”

He says the love the car so long associated with death could include a more macabre interest, but it also includes people who enjoy the custom manufacturing on the vehicles and some who just enjoy the vehicles’ iconic look and size.

“We enjoy the attention it brings,” he says.

Duke says participants are hoping Saturday’s parade, slated to start at about 6 p.m., will bust the current world record – 122 hearses. That record was set March 17, 2022 by Funerex Africa. The group is a South African funeral industry association. It gathered the hearses in Midrand, South Africa.

While there were 176 hearses that met the regulations and rules for inclusion in the event, Duke says the test comes during the 3-mile parade down Grand River.

“As long as we have all our documentation correct and all of the cars make the trip without breaking down,” he says, “we should have a very valid entry for this and then we just gotta wait and see if the entry is accepted and they recognize the record attempt.”

In addition to the displays of hearses of all ages and conditions, the event included costume contests and food vendors and trucks.

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