Lindas Congregate in Cedar Rapids to Set World Record

By Sam Lane, Reporter

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By Ellen Kurt

Story Created: Jul 27, 2012 at 11:28 PM CDT

Story Updated: Jul 28, 2012 at 9:17 AM CDT

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Everything in the Cedar Rapids Marriott Friday night was branded with a single, simple word.

Actually, it was a name: Linda.

Friday marked the start of the 25th annual L.I.N.D.A. (Lindas Involved in Network Development Association) convention, where women named Linda congregate and meet others who share their name. This year marks the fourth time the convention has visited Cedar Rapids, where it first started back in 1987.

Nearly 90 Lindas are attending this year's convention, which runs through Sunday and carries a theme of "Linda's Silver Threads To Golden Friends." When the convention first started, 160 women took part, but no one recorded the figure. This year, officials with the group are following all the steps to ensure the gathering finds its rightful place in the Guinness Book of World Records. Convention attendees came from as far as Florida, New York, and Canada, but many are from the Midwest.

With each convention, the Lindas raise funds for a charity in the city that hosts the convention. This year, it's Waypoint, a Cedar Rapids organization that provides shelter and support for women and families in crisis.

On Friday night after the group pizza party in a conference room at the hotel, 1200 Collins Road NE, a handful of Lindas donned fancy-and a couple outlandish-outfits for a style show.

"It's wonderful," said Linda Stricklin, a Peoria, Ill., resident who serves on the group's board. "It's like family. I get so excited. It's better than Christmas."

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