Mich. comedy fest opens with rubber chicken toss

[March 11, 2011]  GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) -- A 10-day comedy festival in Michigan has opened with an apparent record-setting rubber chicken toss.

The kickoff for the 10th anniversary "Gilda's LaughFest" was Thursday night, when organizers sought to break the Guiness World Record for the number of people tossing rubber chickens at one time. The festival honors the memory of comedian Gilda Radner, who died of ovarian cancer in 1989. Headliners at the Grand Rapids event include Bill Cosby, Betty White, Margaret Cho, Mike Birbiglia, Kathleen Madigan and Gabriel Iglesias. Spokesman Tyler Lecceadone (LECH'-ee-uh-doen) says volunteers threw 925 chickens onto the Rosa Parks Circle ice rink. If certified, that would eclipse the record of 265 that the Haywire Group set April 25, 2010, at Artesani Park in Brighton, Mass. ___ Online: http://www.laughfestgr.org/ http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/ [Associated Press] Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.