Buzzes aplenty were counted Thursday as thousands joined in unison at the Georgia State Fair to play the kazoo and try to beat a world record while doing it.

An unofficial 2,007, to be exact.

While earning a high mark for effort, the crowd's collective buzzing did not surpass the Guinness World Record currently held by Rochester, N.Y, where 2,679 kazoo players hummed together Dec. 31.

The spectacle Thursday night at Luther Williams Field lasted for about 30 minutes - the length of time it took the impromptu ensemble to perform "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding, "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," and other stadium tunes over and over and over again.

Visitors were tallied on signature tablets manned by fair volunteers. Those numbers were cross-checked late Thursday with registers on the stadium's turnstiles. The official count will be made available today.

"When we first got here, I didn't think we had a chance. But now I'm thinking we may nail this thing," said Will Cowart, who appeared optimistic minutes before reality set in.

Hopeful participants said the scattered rains Thursday likely kept more people from showing up.

"Radio was even reporting that the event had been canceled," said Steve Scroggins of the Georgia State Fair directory board.

Or, maybe it was pride that deterred others from partaking. After all, organizers did broadcast the event Thursday as a "silly, ridiculous thing that we're doing."

No matter the reason for the near miss, some Maconites feel slighted about losing the chance to hold this particular world title.

"It only makes sense for us to own the record 'cause the kazoo was invented here," said Devin Lavender, a ninth-grader at First Presbyterian Day School.

Unfortunately, historical ties don't necessarily grab big prizes.

At 7:50 p.m., about 20 minutes after the kazoos went up in the air, emcees begged audience members to keep hope alive and "do it for Macon."

That plea kept most participants in their seats for a good eight minutes longer.

"Um, I'm going to play on the rides now," said Brooke Arrington, a 20-year-old student at Mercer University.

Scroggins said the kazoo affair appears to be the second most popular fair attraction this year so far. Nearly 6,000 people visited the fairgrounds early Thursday for an event hosted by the Future Business Leaders of America, he said.

"We thought it was a success because everybody had a good time," Scroggins added. "If only we had had 500 or 600 more. But we are going to do it again next year and try to beat whatever the record is then."

On Oct. 5, people in Canton, Ohio, will try their hardest to snatch the title from Rochester.

No one Thursday seemed devoted enough to kazoo playing to make that trip.

"I'm from Seattle, so I thought coming here would be a good way to get involved in the community," said Lisa Fox, a first year law student at Mercer. "This was more about my support for Macon than it was about my support for the kazoo."

To contact writer Ashley Tusan Joyner, call 744-4347.