Are you tough enough? For the third year, on Saturday, April 27 at the intersection of North Division Street and E. Main Street in downtown Salisbury, the Salisbury Police Department will be hosting its annual Hero’s Challenge Firetruck Pull to benefit Maryland Special Olympics. Everyone is invited to form a team and pull a truck or just watch all the action — and enjoy a cold, local craft beer — from the sidelines.
Three years ago, when members of the Salisbury Police Department attended a conference for the Maryland Special Olympics, they were inspired to add “one more” local event to raise money for the organization, which provides sports training and athletic competition through Olympic-style events for people with intellectual disabilities.
“The theory was to get one more athlete, one more officer, one more company to engage the community,” said Salisbury Police Department Detective Corporal Jeff Hughes.
Now, three years after the first Hero’s Challenge event and with 20 10-person teams already registered to pull a truck, the fundraiser has almost tripled from its inaugural year.
“We raised about $4,000 our first year and we doubled that last year, so the community has responded well,” Hughes said.
East Town Eats and MayaBella’s Pizza will have food for sale during the truck pull on April 27, and craft beer from 3rd Wave, Tall Tales and Evo will be available for $5 a pint. Matt Romanowski will provide the live music, and raffle tickets will be for sale for various sports- and golf-themed prize packages.
While there is already double the number of teams signed up from those who participated in the first Hero’s Challenge, the Salisbury PD would like to see 30 teams participate in 2019. Teams can register by calling the Salisbury Police Department at 410-548-3113.
“The challenge is designed to mimic what an athlete faces on a daily basis,” Hughes said. “The 40-ton truck, which people perceive to be a great, immovable object, which you can move, reflects what these athletes deal with on a daily basis in the Special Olympics. So the public can better understand.”
More information on the 3rd annual Hero’s Challenge Firetruck Pull can be found on its Facebook event page.
Author: Kristin Helf
Kristin is a writer and picture-taker in Ocean City, Maryland. She likes puppies, pumpkin ales and watching movies for the Ocean City Film Festival in her spare time.
