TWIST & HOWL: Giant Balloon Spider at Great Wolf Lodge Breaks Guinness World Record in Time for Halloween

GRAND MOUND, Wash., Oct. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- If the itsy bitsy spider came down a waterspout, it's only fitting that the largest balloon spider the world has ever seen comes from North America's largest family of indoor waterparks, Great Wolf Lodge®.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111013/CG86345)

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110628/CG27475LOGO

On Saturday, October 1, world-renowned balloon twisting artist, Adam Lee, began his six-day mission of weaving a web of almost 3,000 balloons into a giant spider, breaking the current Guinness World Record for "Largest Balloon Sculpture."  This frightening feat measures 45 feet 2 inches wide by 22 feet 2 inches long, breaking the current record of 16 feet long by 12 feet wide.  Lee received official word today from Guinness World Record headquarters in London, UK, that his attempt was successful.  

"After working 10 hour days for six days straight, I couldn't be more pleased with the outcome," said Lee. "My thanks to Great Wolf Lodge for partnering with me to accomplish my goal of breaking the Guinness World Record.  Of course this can only be followed by a challenge to all the other Great Wolf Lodge locations next year to break my record with even larger balloon sculptures."

Lee is also quick to offer-up some math to help guests comprehend just how many balloons he used.  "If I would have laid the inflated balloons end-to-end, they would have stretched for almost two-and-a-half miles!"

This creepy crawler will suspend from the rafters of the three-story lobby at Great Wolf Lodge – Grand Mound alongside the artist's other balloon creations for the duration of the resort's seasonal "Howl-o-Ween" event, running from October 7 through October 31. Not to be outdone, all 10 of the other Great Wolf Lodge locations nationwide will feature their own inflatable arachnids.

"Who knew that a young man with arachnophobia could achieve such an amazing accomplishment," said Patrick Alvarez, General Manager at Great Wolf Lodge – Grand Mound. "We're so proud to share this honor with Adam, and to provide our guests with the shock and delight that only all eight legs of the world's largest balloon sculpture could provide this Halloween season."

Other Howl-o-Ween activities taking place throughout the month at all 11 Great Wolf Lodge properties include a daily Trick-or-Treat Trail, Spooktacular Story Time, Costume Parade, Monster Bash Dance Party, Pumpkin Painting and Witchy Crafts.

More information about the October event at all Great Wolf Lodge indoor water park resorts can be found at www.greatwolf.com/howloween.

About Great Wolf Resorts, Inc.

Great Wolf Resorts, Inc.® (NASDAQ: WOLF), Madison, Wis., is North America's largest family of indoor waterpark resorts, and, through its subsidiaries and affiliates, owns, licenses and/or operates its family resorts under the Great Wolf Lodge® brand.  Great Wolf Resorts is a fully integrated resort company with Great Wolf Lodge locations in: Wisconsin Dells, Wis.; Sandusky, Ohio; Traverse City, Mich.; Kansas City, Kan.; Williamsburg, Va.; the Pocono Mountains, Pa.; Niagara Falls, Ontario; Mason, Ohio; Grapevine, Texas; Grand Mound, Wash.; and Concord, N.C.

The company's resorts are family-oriented destination facilities that generally feature 300 to 600 rooms and a large indoor entertainment area measuring 40,000 to 100,000 square feet.  The all-suite properties offer a variety of room styles, arcade/game rooms, fitness rooms, themed restaurants, spas, supervised children's activities and other amenities.  The company's consolidated subsidiary, Creative Kingdoms, LLC, is a developer and operator of technology-based, interactive quest adventure experiences such as MagiQuest®.

Additional information may be found on the company's Web site at www.greatwolf.com.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Steve Shattuck, Great Wolf Resorts, Inc.
Ph: 608-662-4731, email: [email protected]

Angie Amberg, Fleishman-Hillard
Ph: 314-982-8646, email: [email protected]

SOURCE Great Wolf Resorts, Inc.