By Anna Skinner
In August, a favorite fundraiser will be returning to Zionsville.
Z’Sparkle, a unique event to raise money for Alzheimer’s research, will take place at 8 p.m. on Main Street on Aug. 14.
The event? A race where men dressed in drag run – high heels and all – from Oak to Hawthorne Streets down Main.
This will be the sixth year the event takes place, collectively raising over $150,000 for the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Indiana Chapter.
The actual race consists of the men running in full drag straight down Main Street, but the volunteer committee for the fundraiser also votes on best legs, best hair, and best pit crew.
Officer Josh Chapman with the Zionsville Police Dept. participated for two years. He won the first year, returned the second, and is on the committee in charge of volunteers and dragsters.
“I recommend coming to the event because it’s a lot of fun, it’s something different that you don’t see every day, especially if you know someone participating and you can have a good laugh at their expense,” Chapman said. “All this money goes to help support Alzheimer’s research, which is not as big as some other researches going on, but we try to make memories before we lose them.”
It does not cost anything to come watch the event, but the VIP tent, which opens at 7 p.m., costs $15. The VIP tent has a cash bar, hor d’oeuvres, and a band. Those attending must be 21 or over.
Anyone interested in volunteering is encouraged to contact [email protected]. Those interested in participating as a dragster can visit the website to sign up.
Tickets are sold online at http://zsparkledragrace.com/index.html.
Every 67 seconds, the time it takes a sparkler to burn – the namesake for the fundraiser – someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
