Holiday Crawl will benefit kids in need

More than 20 downtown Carson City businesses will be offering drink and food specials during the Holiday Crawl 6-11 p.m. Saturday to benefit children in need.

“I’m excited,” said organizer Carson City Sheriff’s Sgt. Daniel Gonzales. “People have been talking about doing something like this for the past 10 years.”

Gonzales and other members of the committee are organizing the pub crawl to raise money for the annual Holiday with a Hero, where homeless children in the Carson City School District are paired with a cop, firefighter or other officials for a Christmas shopping spree.

The crawl will feature live music, disc jockeys and entertainment, including street performers and portrait cartoonist. Participants will be encouraged to dress up, and prizes will be given for the best costumes.

“The weather is supposed to be a little warmer than it has been,” Gonzales said. “It’s just going to be a fun time. People won’t want to miss this. They’ll want to come downtown in that lively atmosphere.”

He said people from throughout the region have expressed interest in the smaller venue of the capital, where lines to get into bars won’t be as long as those in Reno, and it’s a shorter walk to get from one to the other.

“It’s a little more intimate,” he said. “And there will be something for everyone.”

While he’s confident the event is going to be enjoyable in its own right, it’s important to remember the purpose of it.

Proceeds will go to a $100 shopping spree for children in the Students in the Transition program, which serves students living in motels, cars, campgrounds or doubling up with other families.

He said nearly 240 children qualify this year.

“I need this event to be a success,” he said. “Without that, we won’t be able to take the kids shopping.”

The City Center Hotel and Max Casino’s Wyndham Hotel are offering discounts for participants. Two taxi stands will also be set up for those unable to drive home.

Tickets are $20. Buy them at visitcarsoncity.com or at the booth in front of the Lake Tahoe Brewing Company, 302 N. Carson St., on Saturday night.

To learn more, go to visitcarsoncity.com or visit the Holiday Crawl Facebook page.

Donations also may be made at visitcarsoncity.com.