To paraphrase a famous Michael Jackson song, it was close to midday, and something fun was dancing in the park.
That would be 79 people dressed as zombies dancing in Gladden Farms Park, at the corner of West Tangerine Farms and North Lon Adams roads.
The dance was part of Marana's first Fall Heritage Festival, but the participants also helped set a new world record for the most people simultaneously dancing to Jackson's song "Thriller."
Marana's 79 zombies were part of "Thrill the World" — a group of more than 3,900 dancers in 65 cities and nine countries around the globe who were dancing the dance at the same time on Saturday.
People dressed in their zombie best with ripped clothing and whitened faces. Sarah Mitchell and Kahtia Hall, both 16, said they rehearsed the dance over and over again until they got it.
People are also reading…
Renita Hall, Kahtia's mother, also came dressed as a zombie and participated in the dance. She said that she wanted to prove that she could learn the dance and take part in the event.
Amber Masuch, 27, wanted to be part of the dance as a birthday gift to her baby, whose birthday was Saturday.
"It's something I can share with him in the future," Masuch said.
The collective broke last year's record of 1,722 dancers in 55 cities worldwide. Marana was not part of that effort.
The city with the most dancers this year was Austin, Texas, which had 880 dancers, according to a Thrill the World news release.
On Starnet: View and listen to an audio slide show of the "Thrill the World' event in Marana by clicking here.
