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Roosterlympics is coming to Gastonia
A Gastonia venue will hold a unique event this weekend to benefit Webb Street School, a public school serving students with cognitive impairments
The Rooster event venue will host the “Roosterlympics,” from a play on words including the Special Olympics.
“When we first opened the venue, I knew I wanted to use my venue and my platform to host fundraisers once or twice per year,” said Rooster owner Michael Carpenter.
After learning that Webb Street School was looking to purchase interactive gym equipment, Carpenter leapt into action.
“My son went to school there. He participated in their Special Olympics every year,” Carpenter said.
In the Olympic spirit, this event will contain some healthy competition. Guests of all ages can pay a $10 fee to participate in cornhole, cup-pong (with water, of course), a limbo contest, pencil fighting and a rooster calling contest. The winners of each individual game will win a medal, and every player will be entered into a rock-paper-scissors contest that will determine who the ultimate winner of “Roosterlympics.”
Naturally, as any live music venue would, The Rooster has a line-up of 12 bands ready to play music both inside and outside.
“We permitted the parking lot at the back of the venue and put a stage set-up out there,” Carpenter said.
A group of sponsors including Kings Way, Sundrop, First Horizon Bank, Rocklab Records and Threshhold Media Group were able to fully fund the set-up outside. According to Carpenter, this funding has enabled them to give much more of the proceeds directly to the school.
“We’re not going to be trying to earn any of that back. Instead of handing them a couple hundred dollars, we will hopefully be raising thousands,” Carpenter said.
In addition to the contests, Carpenter said that 24 local vendors made donations and will have an area to share information. Local eats will be available via food trucks on site. Cavendish Brewery will sell beer and donate $1 from each sale to the school, and Standard Distributing has donated larger brand beers from which all sale proceeds go directly to the school.
For $5, guests can enter a raffle to win one of three new instruments that have been donated by Creative Music Management, Urban Woodstock, and one of the performing bands, Dove Cage. The instruments being raffled off include a Schecter G6 Guitar, a Jackson Warrior guitar, and an Ibanez Bass.
Adults will pay $10 to enter and enjoy the live music. Children 10 and under get free admission with any paying adult. The Rooster is located at 334 W. Main Ave. Doors open at noon, Saturday, June 24.
