Earlville man and his identical brother compete in annual look-alike contest

Earlville resident Jack Anderson and his twin brother John Anderson, of Las Vegas, attended the 49th annual Twins Days Festival on Aug. 3 and 4 in Twinsburg, Ohio. The festival, which the Guinness Book of World Records named as the “largest annual gathering of twins in the world,” is hosted the first weekend of August each year.

About 2,500 pairs of twins from across the nation and the globe attended the 2024 festival. The event includes talent shows, the Double Take Parade and contests for twins who look the most and the least alike.

Over the years, the Anderson brothers have won the gold medal eight times for looking most alike. They also have won three silver medals and two bronze medals in the look-alike contest.

Jack Anderson said the event also attracts medical researchers. Twins can voluntarily participate in research that examines environmental impact on people who live in different settings or lifestyles but are genetically identical. Researchers at this year’s festival included Procter & Gamble’s skin care division, West Virginia University teams collecting biometric data samples (iris images, facial images and voice samples), University Hospital Dermatology examining skin conditions to explore and explain the interaction of genes versus environment.