When Lexington and Winchester developer Chad Walker turned 50 this past June, he wanted to celebrate with more than cake and ice cream.
On June 21st (the day after Walker turned 50), the “Electric Orca” golf cart began its 24-hour journey as an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for “longest distance traveled on an electric golf cart.” Walker dreamed up the event as a way to raise funds for the Winchester Firefighter Scholarship Fund. Every dollar raised will support graduating GRC Seniors who choose their field of study to prepare for a career as a firefighter, EMT, nursing, or law enforcement.
Walker explains, “Every decade, I do something fun, but this is the first year we [tied] together a fundraiser. The firefighters are all on board and [were] amazing to work with during the event planning and promotion. They’re the heroes!” Walker’s previous adventures included a motorcycle trip from Kentucky to Alaska and back and solo-piloting an aluminum 18′ 1950s boat down the Mississippi River.
Creative Coffees sponsored the event and provided electricity for the Orca, along with caffeine for Walker and the volunteers. A documentary filmmaker captured the event, with plans to hold a future fundraiser showcasing the finished film to be held at the Kentucky Theatre.
An after-event celebration was hosted at The Engine House Pub and Pizza Parlour which is housed in Winchester’s original firehouse.
Walker reports the standing world record was at 150 miles, and the distance covered at the birthday event was “287 miles — [though] it will take a bit to make the record attempt official.”
This ‘Know Your Neighbor’ feature appears on page 8 of the July 2024 print edition of the Hamburg Journal.
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