YUMA  — This city is so proud of its sunshine that it has always been willing to be on it. According to the Guinness World Record book, Yuma is the sunniest place on earth, with bright skies prevailing an average of 4,055 hours out of a possible 4,456 hours every year. That’s 91 percent of the time. Or 350 days per year.

More than a century ago, Yuma hotels backed up the sunshine boast by offering free board to visitors every day the sun didn’t shine. Times have changed, but there are still freebies. Beginning August 1 and continuing for a year, participating restaurants will provide complimentary meals for registered guests at participating hotels every time the sun doesn’t break through.

This is all part of Arizona’s Centennial celebration. An official sunless day, also known as “Code Gloom,” will be declared by a committee of Yuma Visitors Bureau staffers and local meteorologists. The declaration will be announced when hotels place a life-sized cutout of Mayor Alan Krieger in their lobbies.