NORWICH -Over the past years the Chenango County Fair has been racing microds and lawn tractors towards the end of the week. For the past two, they have been racing for charity.
The Make A Wish foundation is a non-for-profit organization that grants “wishes” to children with life threatening diseases. It was two years ago the board members of the Chenango Speedway decided to donate thier profits from their annual raffle to Make A Wish, along with donating funds to other organizations such as the Tri-County Microd Club. The idea from the board came after the work that the Make A Wish Foundation did for one of their own members and his daughter.
Speedway board member Frank Collison has a 14 year old daughter named Kirsten. Kirsten is severly disabled and uses a wheel chair for mobility. “One day one of her doctors asked if he could nominate her for the program,” said Frank Collison. “We said yes and got in contact with the people at Make A Wish.”
Collison went on to say that during the process they asked what would make Kirsten happy and he told them that she loves swings and loves to play. “It’s hard for her to get into swings on playgrounds because she is limited to her wheelchair,” Collison said. “So we asked them if they could build her a swing with wheelchair access.”
Not only did Make A Wish do this, they also built a castle-playhouse for her as well. “We were blown away by what they did,” Collison said. “We are so greatful for what they have done for my family. I can’t thank them enough.”
After seeing first hand the good that the organization does, the board made a collective decision to give back to the organization that has done so much for so many, they decided that the best way to do this was to donate the money raised from various raffles. Last year the organization raised thousands of dollars for Make A Wish. “We couldn’t do it without the support of the fans and the racers,” Collison said. “It just couldn’t happen without them.”
This years race will feature both microd racing and lawn tractor racing. “There are eight microd races and seven tractor races,” said board member Dale Mudge. “We’ve got at least 30 racers in each division.”
The races are broken down into four different classes based on age range. Jr Novice ranges from five to seven years old, Novice ranges from eight to ten, NR-1 races children 10 to 12, and Camer hold races with kids 12 to 18. After 18, the kids will have to race in the adult leagues. The races will start Friday August ,14 at 6:30 p.m. at the race track at the Chenango County Fair. During the races there will be free give aways from many local businesses, so be sure to get a seat early.
Mudge wants to thank everybody involved in the races and all of his sponsors, Chenango Welding Supply, LLC, Shears Express, Norwich Outdoor Equipment, Label Gallery, The Chenango County Fair, North Norwich Motors, Norwich Auto, Gilligan’s Island, Matthews Ford, McCredy Morots, Fahy’s Funeral Home, Irwin Mody, Nana’s, NYS Public Employees Federation, Yancano’s Paving, Pires flower Basket, Pet Street Station, Evon Construction, CJS Auto, Teese Marshall, Tri-County Collision, Kinkajou’s Frozen Yogurt, Oxford Motors, Baillie Lumber, River Road Auto, Smokin’ Bones, Santillo’s, Charino’s Insurance, Jim & Linda’s Concession, Burell’s Excavation, The Trophy Guy, Hitt’s Hay & Straw, Aikin’s Sound System, Bates Electric, Raymond Knowles Contracting, Tri County Microd Club, Keep Collective, and Southern Tier Mower Sports.
“We want this to be a nice family event,” Mudge said. “We hope that everyone will come out, have fun, and support a good cause.”