Participants in Thursday’s Wurst Challenge already raise $3,624 for Ypsilanti’s FLY Creativity Lab, aim for even more

We’re now just two days away from our big bratwurst eating challenge at the Wurst Bar to benefit FLY Children’s Art Center, and things are really beginning to heat up. As of right now, according to the donation page, we’ve already raised $3,624, which, if I’m not mistaken, is enough to keep the FLY Creativity Lab open through the summer. The outpouring of support thus far has been truly incredible, and I really can’t thank our challengers and their supporters enough. And the same goes for our sponsors. This has been a true grassroots undertaking, and I’m incredibly happy to have seen it come together firsthand, as people from around the community came forward to pitch in and make it happen.

For those who didn’t read about the event in San Francisco Chronicle, or hear about it on the radio in Colorado Springs, here’s how it works… This Thursday evening, the folks at Ypsilanti’s Wurst Bar will be cooking up a bunch of 20-foot bratwursts, and serving them to a panel of sausage-loving philanthropists, each of whom will attempt to consume his or her bratwurst whole. These same individuals, I should add, when not training for this epic intestinal challenge, have been working their asses off, calling on their friends, coworkers and family members to make donations on their behalf. And that’s where the $3,624 that I mentioned earlier has come from. We really are fortunate to have such community-minded athletes living along us.

You can find the whole slate of challengers, and see how much each has raised, on the FLY site. You can also, of course, donate on behalf of the ones you feel the most kinship with.

I should add that one of our competitors is actually not a single, sausage-eating individual, but a University President and a handful of her trusted bratwurst-loving advisors. Given that they have several mouths and stomachs between them, they will not be eligible for prizes… but you can still pledge to support them.

And that’s the really cool thing about this event. Not only are we raising money for a great cause, but we’ve got both the Mayor of Ypsilanti, Paul Schreiber, and the President of Eastern Michigan University, Susan Martin, participating… There are, of course, other instances where City and University leadership have come together, but, to my knowledge, this is the first time where they’ve sat together around a table, each attempting to consume 20 feet of sausage in order to bring quality arts education to the children of Ypsilanti.

If you haven’t donated yet, donate now… We’ve got two Ann Arbor Derby Girls, a University President, a Mayor, a couple of local artists, a Tom Selleck impersonator, and a few vegetarians (who will be eating tofu apple sausage) to choose from, among others.

I mentioned prizes earlier. There will be three. The individual to raise the most money will win a prize. The one to eat the most of his or her bratwurst will win a prize. And the one to consume his or her brat with the most style will win a prize. (Observers will have an opportunity to vote on this last award.)

And, in addition to all of the money that we raise online, the folks at the Wurst Bar have agreed to donate ten-cents-an-inch for every bit of sausage eaten. And, that’s not all. The good folks at New Holland Brewing have donated an entire keg of their Monkey King Saison Farmhouse Ale to the cause, so every dollar you spend on it will go directly to FLY. (New Holland will also have the following beers on tap that night, for those of you who want to move on from Monkey King to something a little different: Dragon’s Milk Reserve, Paleooza, Mad Hatter, El Mole, and Night Tripper.)

If you still have questions, check out the article in the Ann Arbor News that ran a few days ago. And, if you’re so inclined, share the Facebook event with your art, sausage and community loving friends.

WurstChallenge_web

Don’t miss your chance to donate and be a part of history… Do it today!

This entry was posted in Art and Culture, Uncategorized, Ypsilanti and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. Post a comment or leave a trackback: Trackback URL.

9 Comments

  1. Posted March 18, 2014 at 9:29 pm | Permalink

    I’ve yet to get approval for this idea, so I’m not sure if it’ll work out, but I’m suggesting that we leave the online donation page active through Friday, so that people can continue to make contributions on behalf of those challengers who truly distinguished themselves during the event.

  2. James
    Posted March 18, 2014 at 11:45 pm | Permalink

    Having the donations available through Friday would be perfect for people who have pledged a “per inch” amount and won’t know what they owe until after the event!

  3. Wurst Challenge
    Posted March 19, 2014 at 8:33 am | Permalink

    One of our challengers, Nom Selleck, has posted his training video to YouTube, in which you can see him attack 20 feet of celery, 20 feet of bacon and 20 feet of pretzels.

  4. Wurst Challenge
    Posted March 19, 2014 at 2:30 pm | Permalink

    We broke the $4,000 mark this morning. Thank you, everyone. We’re now at $4,069. Can we get to $5,000 by tomorrow at this time?

  5. radio radio
    Posted March 20, 2014 at 7:53 am | Permalink

    WWJ 950 is talking about the Wurst Challenge today.

  6. Wurst Challenge
    Posted March 20, 2014 at 8:13 am | Permalink

    It also made Fox 2 Detroit.

    http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/story/25025909/event-challenges-eaters-with-20-foot-bratwursts

  7. M2
    Posted March 20, 2014 at 9:35 am | Permalink

    If there’s a TV news crew in the area, covering a murder or something, maybe they could be persuaded to swing by and take some video.

  8. Dan Richardson
    Posted March 20, 2014 at 5:54 pm | Permalink

    I just gave the dude with the lowest donations amount $5. Go sausage eaters!!

  9. Posted March 20, 2014 at 9:11 pm | Permalink

    As a public health professional, I don’t think I can support this event.

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