If you miss those college days spending way too much time playing Foosball with your pals, The Greater Mankato Area United Way has a treat for you this Saturday!
From noon until 5 pm, Saturday, July 14th, Front Street, from Cherry to Warren will be shut down to allow for four human-sized Foosball courts! It’s free for spectators. The restaurants will be open and the patios will be hopping!
“It’s become a great community event. A lot of people are excited about it and a lot of people ask us about it.”
Out-Of-The-Box Fun!
“Four years ago we were brainstorming ways we could broaden awareness of the great work United Way does for the region and all the beautiful agencies we fund,” said Barb Kaus, CEO of the local organization. “We wanted a way to get people involved that was really fun.
“I saw Human Foosball on Facebook and thought that would be a really out-of-the-box event,” Kaus continued. “I brought it to the staff and they all said, ‘Looks like a great idea but we don’t know how to do that!’ We all agreed that we’d figure it out and find a way.”
After running the idea by local builder, John Fritz, at a Rotary meeting the plan became a reality. Kaus recalled, “John did all the drawings for it within a day. Before you know it Lloyd Lumber had donated all the materials. We had people coming on board as sponsors and lots of people who wanted to have teams. Now we’re in our fourth year!”
There are 28 teams signed up for this year’s event. In addition to the championship trophy for the tournament winner, awards include Best Team Uniforms and Most Team Spirit.
“We’re also still in need of volunteers!”
“It’s become a great community event. A lot of people are excited about it and a lot of people ask us about it,” said Laura Murray, Marketing & Communications Director. “We have media sponsors, Radio Mankato and KEYC. Radio Mankato will be there all day doing music. McGowan Water will be providing cold water all day. Scheels is our presenting sponsor this year. Each court has an individual sponsor. There are dozens of other businesses from the region who provide in-kind donations for the event. We’re also still in need of volunteers!”
Additional Links
2018 Human Foosball & Block Party Facebook Page
Volunteer Sign-Up Page
