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Asheville Wants to Fight Portland Using Floating Zombies

North Carolina town trying to break PDX's already-broken world record for floating chain of people.

Asheville, North Carolina, is throwing down against Portland. On a river. With zombies. 

On September 20, Asheville's "Zombie Float," hopes to draw hundreds of zombie-outfitted tubers to the French Broad River to beat Portland's record for the "Most People Floating in a Line," which the organizers of Portland's Big Float helped set in 2013 after stringing together 620 tubers on the Willamette River. 

Never mind, of course, that the record's already been broken: The Harley Owners Group Taiwan Chapter beat Portland's record in June by floating 634 people on a lake. But according to the Mountain Xpress, the Asheville organizers have eyes only for Portland. Author Jake Frankel writes (our emphasis): 

What friendly rivalry, you ask? Well, apparently the enthusiastic craft-brewing town keeps winning a web poll as best beer city. Good on them.

The Zombie Float organizers hope to raise awareness about river conservation and river pollution. We hope, for their sake, that they're using non-toxic makeup for those zombies.

WWeek 2015