Pittsburgh's Carnegie Mellon University has a low concrete fence in the middle of its campus. Named simply "The Fence," students have been using it for the past 70 years as the unofficial campus billboard, painting it with witty or poignant messages or advertising upcoming events. Because of its highly visible location on campus, it's an ideal place to proclaim one's message to the student body. Over the years the paint layer grew so thick that its weight became too much for the original wooden fence to bear and The Fence collapsed and was replaced by a concrete fence. In 1993, it was considered “the world's most painted object” by the Guinness Book of World Records. Today, students continue to paint it in an effort to break the record held by the original fence. Any student can paint the fence provided they paint the entire length between midnight and sunrise using only a paintbrush. Rollers and spray paints are prohibited. Those who want to ensure their message is not painted over must post at least two people to "guard" The Fence. Groups of students often camp out overnight and enjoy a barbecue so that they can maintain control of The Fence for extended periods of time. The new fence has already accumulated over four inches of paint.
