The event is Friday and Saturday, Jan. 27 and 28, at the Ole Barn in Inlet and founders, Greg and Nan Zipadelli are fueling up to make it one of the best rides so far.
Zippy’s Crusade for Kids snowmobile event will begin at 5 p.m. Friday with a meet-and-greet, autograph signing, hors d’oeuvres and raffle prizes. Local favorite band “Showtime” will take the stage at 9 p.m.
The snowmobile ride will begin with a brunch Saturday at 10 a.m., with the sleds heading out for the ride at 11 a.m. It will conclude at the Ole Barn Saturday evening with a full buffet dinner, raffles, silent and live auctions, and the presentation of checks.
This year’s event will be highlighted by an appearance by 2011 NASCAR champion Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet Impala for Stewart-Haas Racing.
Also on hand will be Greg “Zippy” Zipadelli, who recently accepted the position of competition director for Stewart-Haas Racing, and will serve as crew chief of the No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet Impala driven by Danica Patrick.
Stewart and Zipadelli will bring with them Steve Addington, crew chief, Jeff Meendering, car chief, and Aaron Kuehn, crew members of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet Impala. From the “World of Outlaws” Sprint Car series, they welcome back Donny Schatz, driver of the No. 15 STP/Armor All/Chevy/J&J for Tony Stewart Racing.
“For the special position of emcees for the evening, we have our favorite radio announcer and friend to all of our Crusade attendees, The Postman - Steve Post,” said Greg. He will be joined this year by a few special guests to carry out the duties, including SPEED TV reporter and fellow Better Half Dash racer, Wendy Venturini, as well as television reporter Matt Yocum to help throughout the event. “They both have been Crusaders in the past and I know you all will be excited to see them return,” said Greg.
Other favorites returning for the event include Frank Stoddard, owner of FAS Lane Racing, Mike “Magic Shoes” McLaughlin, Jarrad Egert, Scott Zipadelli, Bruce D’Alessandro, Mark Robertson, Todd Foster, Scott “Scooter” Crowell and Bill Byrne.
“Last year we worked to bring some of our hunting fans into the mix with Drop Zone TV,” said Greg. “We again will film for a show and showcase our fans from the hunting community on guest appearances for the episode. Our event will be filled with fun and exciting auction and raffle items and the opportunity to bid on certain items you maybe can’t live without.”
This year’s raffle, silent auction, and live auction items promise not to disappoint. Items include an autographed 2011 Championship helmet and firesuit from 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart, a Mathews Bow, and autographed items from Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmy Johnson, Joey Logano, Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth and many other drivers. There will also be Stella and Dot jewelry, Lia Sophia jewelry, American Girl Dolls, a Riddell football helmet, Willow Home, handmade quilts and blankets, a muzzle loader, NASCAR event pit passes, a vacation in Vermont, a filmed Midwest White tail deer hunt and much, much more.
Zippy’s Crusade For Kids is a not-for-profit founded by Greg and Nan to raise funds through community events to donate to help kids in need. A special part of the festivities Saturday evening is the presentation of the donations, which are kept under wraps until then. “I will tell you, we have three area families who will be special guests and recipients of donations,” said Nan.
“The 2011 Zippy’s Crusade For Kids event allowed us to donate much needed funds to some local families and great organizations and families, including the Shiners Hospitals for Children, the National Transplant Assistance fund, Motor Racing Outreach and the Children’s Homes of Iredell County,” said Nan.
Arctic Cat Inc. will return this year as the main ride sponsor and will provide their snowmobiles for the celebrities to ride. The event’s title sponsor this year is Eldora Speedway.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.crusadeforkids.