Perry Chamber announces Sweet-as-Pie 16 as fundraising begins for 2023 fireworks drive

COURTESY OF PERRY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
·4 min read
Donations for the Sweet-as-Pie 16 round of the Big Boom Bracket Battle will be accepted through 10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 14.
Donations for the Sweet-as-Pie 16 round of the Big Boom Bracket Battle will be accepted through 10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 14.

The Perry Chamber of Commerce received 80 nominations from the community for the Big Boom Bracket Battle, a bracket-style contest matching up community members for the sake of fundraising for Perry’s Fourth of July fireworks show. Of those nominated, 53 said ‘yes’ to the challenge, willing to get a pie in the face if they win. The Elimination Round took place on Facebook this past week, receiving a total of 11,364 votes between all contestants– nearly 1,000 more than last year. It was a competitive contest, but only the top contenders now move on to the Sweet-as-Pie 16 bracket for this March Madness themed fundraiser for Perry’s Fourth of July fireworks.

“We are so pleased with the continued enthusiasm from the community and it is so fun to see some new faces not only in the Elimination Round, but especially in the actual bracket," said Lynsi Pasutti, Executive Director of the Perry Chamber of Commerce. "Six out of the 16 have made it into the bracket before – one a former champion – and only two others that have been a part of the contest before. The rest are completely new, so it just goes to show how the community has embraced the initiative with an even wider audience!”

Now with the Elimination Round complete, the fundraising portion of the initiative will take place with four weeks of ‘head-to-head’ contests. Placement within the Sweet-as-Pie 16 bracket has been determined from the rankings of the Elimination Round (1 vs. 16, 2 vs. 15, and so on).

2023 Big Boom Bracket Battle Sweet-as-Pie 16 match-ups:

  • (1) Jennifer Rothfus, Perry Lutheran Homes vs. (16) Zack Cregeen, Re/Max Concepts

  • (2) Mandi Ballentine, Acorns & Oaks Christian Daycare / Showtime Dance & Tumbling vs. (15) Cole Adair, City State Bank Insurance

  • (3) Lourdes Arceo, Sisters Beauty Salon vs. (14) Gustavo Drahos, The Lazy Goose Boba Tea

  • (4) Deepak Nayyar, Bluejay Market vs. (13) Andrea Tunink, Ben’s Five & Dime

  • (5) Officer Andrew Smith, Perry Police Department vs. (12) Mindy Baxter, AccuJet

  • (6) Lydia Olejniczak, Perry High School vs. (11) Eric Morman, Gunther's Snow Removal & Lawn Care

  • (7) Salvador Lepe, Casa de Oro Perry vs. (10) Danny Splendore, CW&D

  • (8) Michael Pentico, USPS vs. David Sheffer, (9) Tin Pig Tavern & Gamble Block Brewery

The Sweet-as-Pie 16 bracket of match-ups has been set based on ranking of votes in the Elimination Round.
The Sweet-as-Pie 16 bracket of match-ups has been set based on ranking of votes in the Elimination Round.

Advancement in the bracket will be determined by donations from the community, accepted online, by mail and at various locations in town. The ultimate winner will be rewarded with a pie in their face at the Perry Chamber’s Annual Dinner in April.

“We have a really nice variety of participants this year and a few interesting match-ups right off the bat, including a pair that faced off last year," Pasutti said. "We have business folks from across a variety of industries and even two students, which is new this year. It will be interesting to see who makes it to the next round, because it is anyone’s game at this point!”

The goal of the Big Boom Bracket Battle is to kick off the annual fundraising efforts for Perry’s Fourth of July fireworks show, all while getting the community involved for a fun activity during the month of March. Last year’s initiative raised more than $4,200 and the concept of ‘every little bit counts’ will help chip away at the total fundraising goal of $18,000.

Donations for this round of the contest will be accepted now through 10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 14 and the Explosive 8 will begin that same day at noon. Each of the rounds will follow the same pattern until the contest is complete. The Firecracker 4 will be announced Tuesday, March 21 and the Grand Finale Duo will be announced on Tuesday, March 28 for the final showdown.

Online donations can be submitted at Perry-Chamber.square.site and in-person donations will be collected at the McCreary Center (1800 Pattee St.) and Ben’s Five & Dime (1221 2nd St). Donations may also be delivered to the Perry Chamber of Commerce at 1124 Willis Ave. or mailed to PO Box 472, Perry, IA 50220.

The Perry Chamber wishes to thank all those that participated in the Elimination Round, including those that submitted nominations, those that accepted nominations with the chance of getting a pie in the face and those that voted.

For more information and to follow along on with the progress of the Big Boom Bracket Battle, visit www.PerryIA.org/BigBoomBracketBattle or the Perry Chamber’s Facebook page. Questions can be directed to the Perry Chamber at PerryChamber@PerryIA.org or (515) 465-4601.

This article originally appeared on Perry Chief: Perry Chamber announces Sweet-as-Pie 16 as 2023 fireworks drive starts