L'Burg Fire, Special Olympics Pull Together For Great Cause

Wednesday, July 25, 2018 at 6:20 AM

By Special Olympics Indiana - Dearborn Ohio Ripley Counties, news release

The seventh annual Fire Truck Pull returns to downtown Lawrenceburg on August 18.

(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) - The Lawrenceburg Fire Department will once again, for the seventh year, partner with Special Olympics Indiana to host the annual Fire Truck Pull to benefit Special Olympics athletes residing in Ripley, Ohio and Dearborn counties. Presented by the City of Lawrenceburg, the Pull is scheduled for Saturday, August 18 in downtown Lawrenceburg.

Teams of 15 or less will show off their teamwork and strength as they play the ultimate game of tug-of-war with the department’s largest ladder truck, weighing in at 37 tons. Each team raises a minimum of $500 to see who can pull the fire truck 50 feet in the shortest amount of time. The team doing so will not only gain bragging rights, but will also receive the Fastest Pull Challenge trophy. Other trophies up for grabs are second and third place trophies for the Fastest Pull Challenge, the Lowest Combined Weight Challenge, where teams are challenged to pull the truck with the least number of team members, and the team and individual trophies for the most money raised for Special Olympics. To register your team or to learn more about the event visit www.soindiana-rod.org/ftp or call Greg Townsend at 812-584-6861.

“We’re very excited to once again to partner with Special Olympics for such a great cause,” said Rob Schuette, Deputy Fire Chief of the Lawrenceburg Fire Department. “We’re very proud and honored to be able to support the [Special Olympics] athletes.”

The first pull of the day, the Kiddie Pull, free to children 8 years or younger, will team together with “Fire Pup”, the fire department’s canine mascot, to challenge their “kid power” against the fire truck.

Along with the exciting challenge of teams pulling a fire truck, spectators will also have the opportunity to get a glimpse at decades of some of the finest and rarest vehicles that car aficionados have prized over the years as the “Cruisin’ for Inclusion” Car Show drives into town for a second year to be part of the Fire Truck Pull festivities. Car aficionados who would like to show off their gems can find an application at www.soindiana-rod.org/ftp or by contacting Greg Townsend at 812-584-6861 or gtownsend@soindiana-rod.org.

After the team with the fastest pull has been crowned with their bragging rights, The Keith Swinney Band, a unique mix of personalities, age, musical genre’ and attitudes, will take the stage to entertain the crowd into the evening.

Due to the construction of the new Lawrenceburg civic park on the corner of Short and High Streets, this full-day festival of team competition, antique fire trucks, cars, food and music will happen on East High Street, between Short and Walnut Streets. The Fire Truck Pull is free to attend.

Special Olympics uses the raised funds to provide year-round sports training and competition to children and adults with intellectual disabilities in our community.

THE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

12:00 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. Fire Truck Team & Kiddie Pull Registration

12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Car Show Registration

12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Safety Town

12:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Firehouse Grill

1:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Cruisin’ for Inclusion Car Show

1:30 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. Opening Ceremonies with the 35th Indiana Pipes and Drums

2:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. Kiddie Pull

2:15 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. The Pull w/ Awards Immediately Following

5:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Car Show Awards

6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. The Keith Swinney Band