Wrestlers to duke it out for ministry|Religion
Published 12:00 am Saturday, December 12, 2009
Wresting fans get ready for some action this weekend as a charity event kicks off tonight.
If you go
Dinner with the Champions will be from 6 to 10 tonight at Eli’s Treehouse on Cherry Street. Slammin’ For Santa will begin at 6 p.m. Sunday at Rainbow Hotel Casino. Ringside seats admission is a new, unwrapped toy or $10; general admission is $5; and a table of eight is $100. Tickets are at Captain Jack’s This & That on North Frontage Road. Call 601-218-1524.
Sponsored by Total Access Wrestling, the two-day event is a fundraiser for children of Beyond Walls Ministries, an organization that counsels inmates. The event will collect toys and money that will make Christmas possible for the children of inmates. It will feature Dinner with the Champions tonight at Eli’s Treehouse Restaurant & Sports Grill and Slammin’ For Santa wrestling match Sunday at Rainbow Hotel Casino.
“Last year, we did this event in Greenville and felt like it was successful,” said Tommy Parker of Vicksburg-based Total Access Wrestling. “This will be our first charity event in Vicksburg. Our goal is to make a good Christmas for some needy children.”
This is the second event this season to benefit Beyond Walls. The 12th annual Jammin’ for the Kids, a toy drive for children of inmates, was Dec. 3, but Stacy Hartley of Beyond Walls said turnout was light.
“This was the lowest year we had since I had been doing it for nine years,” she said. “I think people didn’t come out because of the economy and some people not having a job.”
She hopes this weekend’s wrestling event will beef up donations. “Having two events in the year would be awesome,” she said.
Fans will meet the wrestlers at the restaurant tonight and see them battle it out in the ring Sunday.
The Sunday event will feature matches between a few wrestlers from the area, including Brother Heavenly Love, also known as Marvin Galloway, of Yazoo City and Cassidy Riley of Monroe.
“The fans will see people they see on TV,” said Parker. “Everyone on our roster is handpicked because of what they do in the community. This is a family-oriented show.”
Admission to both events will be a new, unwrapped toy. For Sunday’s wrestling match, those who do not bring a toy can pay $10 for ringside seats, $5 for general seats or $100 for a table of eight. A portion of the ticket proceeds will benefit Beyond Walls. Monetary donations will also be accepted.
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Contact Manivanh Chanprasith at mchan@vicksburgpost.com