Fireball Runners come to Ferriday

Published 12:00 am Friday, September 26, 2008

FERRIDAY — In a scene reminiscent of a classic 1970s road race movie, cars will roll into downtown Ferriday Saturday morning.

The Fireball Run II, described as “part game, part rally and part race,” will make a pit stop in Ferriday after it starts in Baton Rouge earlier that day.

“On the way they are going to be stopping at various places,” Liz Brooking with the Ferriday Chamber of Commerce said. “Each one of them has to take a camera, and they have to get their picture taken at certain landmarks along the way to prove they have been there.”

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The racers do not know where they are going, but at each stop are given an information packet that contains clues to the next location.

When they reach Ferriday, the will be fed, given a souvenir package and Mayor Glen McGlothin will address them about Ferriday at the Arcade Theater, where a video will be played on the big screen, Delta Music Museum Director Judith Bingham said.

“I am really excited about this,” McGlothin said. “We are going to welcome them with open arms.”

Rather than recruiting the race, the race organizers called the Ferriday chamber and asked if they would like to participate, Brooking said.

“It is a tremendous economic development opportunity,” she said. “All of the teams are made up of important people from around the world, CEOs, business owners, movie stars — people who are interested in doing something good but also have resources and connections. They may look at our community and want to build a plant or something like that around here.”

The ultimate goal of the race is an awareness campaign for the Child Rescue Network.

The event will be from 11:30 until 1:30. The race will end in Grand Rapides, Mich., nine days after it starts.