On Thursday, September 27, between 3:30 and 6:00 PM, children from throughout the Waterbury region are invited to participate in the first-time-ever “Kidventure” Scavenger Hunt on the Waterbury Green as part of the “2012 Fireball Run®” visit to Waterbury. “Kidventure” is being planned by the Mattatuck Museum, Greater Waterbury YMCA and Waterbury Regional Chamber – initiator and organizer of the “2012 Fireball Run” road rally’s first-ever visit to Waterbury. During “Kidventure” the children will learn about Waterbury’s rich history by participating in an action-packed scavenger hunt, and all participating children will receive souvenir tee-shirts, and become eligible to win prizes.
“Kidventure”,explained Lynn Ward, president and CEO of the Waterbury Regional Chamber, “will include questions about Waterbury’s rich history that the children will answer by exploring locations around the Waterbury Green and the YMCA. Each mission location is being sponsored by local companies ororganizations. The two primary ‘Kidventure’ sponsors are AT&Tand Connecticut Family Dental on Grandview Avenue in Waterbury. One location sponsor to date is the Brass Mill Center and Mall. Parents can register children in advance to participate by visitingwww.waterburyfireballrun.com.”
The “2012 Fireball Run Adventurally – Northern Exposure” (www.fireballrun.com) is a road rally adventure and film created by Adrenaline Partnership at NBC Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida,” explained Ward. “Fireball Run is an epic interactive adventure game that features cars driven by teams from the 14 destination cities between September 21 and 29th. Waterbury was chosen to be one of the 14 overnight cities and will be visited by 40 teams of drivers on the8-day, 2,500 mile. Waterbury is the only one of the 14 destination cities to have three official teams and one independent team of drivers.”
The signature ambition of the ‘2012 Fireball Run Adventurally – Northern Exposure’ production is “The Race to Recover Missing Children”. Ward explained, “Since its creation five years ago, the Fireball Run’s producers’ have worked to bring nationwide attention to missing and exploited children. Each Fireball Run team represents one missing child from that team’s home region. As part of their 8 day adventure, each team will distribute 1,000 posters of one missing child from their hometown area to aid in that child’s recovery. Since its inception, Fireball Run has helped locate 38 missing children across the United States.”
The 2012 road rally adventure will begin September 21 in Ohio and end September 29 in Maine. The 40teams of 2 will drive various vehicles to each of the 14 destination cities. While in each overnight destination city, the teams will visit local area landmarks, solve clues and accomplish missions based on local history, geography and pop culture. “Fireball Run often attracts well-known drivers and individuals from the U.S. and Canada,” Ward stated. “In2012 girls will rule with two time women’s pro rodeo champion Kelly Kaminsky; Long Beach Grand Prix winner Shea Holbrook; Lumber Jill World Champion seen on CBS-TV’s ‘Survivor’ & ABC-TV’s ‘Extreme Home Makeover’ Timber Tina; NHRA Super Comp Dragster Driver Tina Stull; and pro wakeboard champion Tarah Mikacich.”
The 40 “FireballRun” teams will visit Waterbury September 27 and Waterbury will be ‘seen’ by millions of viewers of the www.FireballRun.com website which will stream the entire road adventure live. When the teams arrive in Waterbury, they will be celebrated with numerous festivities on the Waterbury Green between 3:00 to 7:00 PM, which will all be streamed live. At 6:00 PM they will continue to be celebrated at aninvitation-only dinner event at Waterbury’s famed Palace Theater.
Before arriving at the Waterbury Green, the drivers will visit Lime Rock Park and raceway in Lakeville, Connecticut. Festivities on the Green will begin at 3:00 and end at7:00 PM and will include “Kidventure”; live entertainment featuring the Crosseyed Cat band from Waterbury; re-enactment of President John F. Kennedy’s speech in front of the Elton Hotel; cheerleading performances by area high school teams; a car show; food vendors and much more.
Three teams from the Waterbury area will participate in the 8-day Fireball Run challenge. Drivers include Dr. Peter Jacoby, chairman of emergency medicine at St. Mary’s Hospital in Waterbury, and Paul Largay, president of Largay Travel. As in the movie “Cannon Ball Run” the Waterbury ‘stars’ will drive an un-commissioned ambulance provided by Campion Ambulance and Loehmann-Blasius Chevrolet of Waterbury. Others drivers are Waterbury’s Stan and Melissa Piurkowski, owners of Meadow Street Commons and Meadow Street Grill, who will drive their 1986 Ford Ranger and Joe Wall of Waterbury and Chris Meier of Oakville who will drive a 1990 Miata.
Title sponsors of Waterbury’s Fireball Run are Loehmann-Blasius Chevrolet, Post University, Webster Bank, all based in Waterbury, and Connecticut Light & Power, Yankee Gas-Northeast Utilities. Non-profit beneficiary of Waterbury’s participation in the “2012 Fireball Run – Adventurally” expedition will be Waterbury’s Police Activity League (PAL) selected by Mayor Neil M. O’Leary as recipient of the “Mayor’s Choice of Charity”.
For information on Fireball Run, visit www.Fireballrun.com,and for Waterbury’s Fireball Run visit www.waterburyfireballrun.com and You Tube “Waterbury Fireball Run”. To learn about the Waterbury Regional Chamber, visit www.waterburychamber.com,call 203-757-0701, or email to info@waterburychamber.com.
Children from throughout the Waterbury area will be invited to participate in the free “Kidventure” Scavenger Hunt that will be held from 3:00 to6:00 PM on the Green in Waterbury on Thursday, September 27.