Tag Archives: Zippy’s crusade for kids

Town of Inlet: Zippy returning with NASCAR stars for annual snowmobile charity ride

NASCAR Champion Tony Stewart will return to the area with his teammates for the 7th Annual Zippy’s Crusade for Kids charity snowmobile event on Friday and Saturday, January 25 and 26 at The Ole Barn in Inlet.

This year’s event will feature a number of celebrities in the worlds of both racing and hunting. Sprint car driver Donny Shots and Speed Television personality Wendy Venturini, owner of the number 32 Winston Cup car, Frank Stoddard, and country music singer Bobby Kendall will also appear, as will event hosts, Scott, Greg and Nan Zipadelli.

“We are really excited to welcome back all of our NASCAR friends,” said Kathy Hansen, co-owner of The Ole Barn.

The event will begin Friday with sign-in and cocktails at the Ole Barn at 5 p.m.,  followed by a meet-and-greet autograph session at 7 p.m. Music and dancing will be provided by Bobby Kendall and Kim Fox.

“The entertainment is being stepped up a little bit this year. The rumor is that Kim Fox and Bobby Kendall have come up with their own song for the crusade that they are supposed to perform,” said event organizer Spot Ste.Marie.

Saturday’s activities will begin with a 10 a.m. brunch and an 11 a.m. line-up for the snowmobile ride. Guests will spend the afternoon snowmobiling with the celebrities.

At 5 p.m. the party heads back to the Ole Barn for a variety of raffle drawings, a silent auction and live auction.

Items up for raffle include tickets to the Bristol Speedway, compound bows, a cross bow, an Arctic Cat side-by-side Prowler valued at $14,000, and an Ez-Go Golf Cart valued at $8,000.

Another big raffle item, donated by Drop Zone TV, is a bear hunt in Brunswick which offers the winner the opportunity of being featured on an episode of the cable program.

Drop Zone TV will be returning this year and will be filming throughout the weekend.

A number of items will be auctioned off during the live and silent auctions to help raise money for the not-for-profit Zippy’s foundation.

Some of the lot items include a variety of Oakley sunglasses, an Oakley watch, an American Girl Doll package, Adirondack-made furniture, NASCAR fire suits and helmets—some autographed, and sheets of metal from race cars autographed by NASCAR drivers.

Ste. Marie said this year’s ticket sales are slightly over what they were at this time last year, and he expects the event to be a sell-out.

“Now we just need the weather to cooperate a little bit more and give us a little bit more snow,” he said.

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Sleds were special delivered to the Old Barn for Greg Zipadelli's charity ride last weekend. Photo by Jay Lawson

Zippy’s Crusade raises over $100,000 for children’s causes

NASCAR Champion Tony Stewart takes part in an autograph session at Inlet's Old Barn Restaurant. Courtesy photo

The 6th annual Zippy’s Crusade for Kids held at the Ole Barn Restaurant on Friday and Saturday, January 27 and 28, raised more than $100,000 to help children through various charities and organizations.

The event was sold out with 300 people attending, according to Nan Zipadelli, co-founder of the non-for-profit fundraiser with her husband Greg Zipadelli.

The event went off without a hitch, with many compliments about the people, the food and the venue, she said.

Area families benefiting from the proceeds, included a donation of $10,000 to the Trisomy18 Foundation in the name of Owen Lee of Boonville who suffers from a Chromosome 18 disorder.

Inlet's Cory Hansen with Tony Stewart

A donation of $10,000 was made to the Beal Family of Otter Lake whose five year-old son Brandon recently underwent his third open-heart surgery.

Of that amount, $5,000 went to the Children of Health Columbia Hospital and $5,000 for family expenses.

A donation of $10,000 was made in the name of six-year-old Jacob Hancock of Sherrill who suffers from Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Of that amount, $5,000 went to the Keys Program and $5,000 was for family expenses. Continue reading →

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NASCAR Champ Tony Stewart returns for Zippy’s Crusade

On Thursday, Tony Stewart, Greg Zipadelli and Matt Yocum took a trial run on area snowmobile trails to warm up for this weekend's Crusade for Kids, an annual charity event hosted by Zipadelli at Inlet's Ole Barn restaurant. Curtesy photo

The 6th Annual Zippy’s Crusade for Kids charity event is scheduled to take place at The Ole Barn Restaurant in Inlet on Friday and Saturday, January 27th and 28th.

Zippy’s Crusade for Kids is a not-for-profit founded by Greg and Nan Zipadelli that utilizes community based events to help raise funding for organizations and families in need.

The 2011 event helped to raise substantial funds for Shiners Hospitals for Children, the National Transplant Assistance Fund, Motor Racing Outreach, and the Children’s Homes of Iredell County, among others.

All proceeds from the 2012 event will go directly to helping children through the various organizations.

Shawn Hansen, Tony Stewart nad Heather Levi, from left, at the Ole Barn on Thursday.

This year’s event will kick off  on Friday at The Ole Barn with sign-in and registration at 5 p.m.

Between 5:30 and 7 p.m., attendees will enjoy cocktails, heavy hors d’oeuvres, raffles, and live music, which will be followed by the celebrity introductions and presentations of title sponsors, presenting sponsors, and crusaders.

At 7:30 p.m., there will be an autograph and meet and greet period, followed by a musical performance by Show Time at 9 p.m.

In attendance will be Tony Stewart, 2011 NASCAR Cup Champion, as well as his team members, Crew Chief Steve Addington, Car Chief Jeff Meendering, No.14 Car Crew Member, Aaron Kuehn, and No. 15 STP/Armor All/Chevy/J&J Sprint Car driver, Donny Schatz. Continue reading →

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