First responders in Jacksonville are getting together to settle a score this weekend.
Members of the Jacksonville Police and Fire Departments are meeting on the gridiron this Saturday for the Guns & Hoses flag football game to benefit the Prairieland United Way.
The game will be held at the Bob Freesen YMCA. Fireman and co-chair for this year’s Prairieland United Way Campaign, Brian Gillespie says the event will have plenty for attendees to enjoy.
“We’ve got some local firemen and some local police officers from Jacksonville as well as from South Jacksonville and I think some of the county guys are going to be there as well. The game starts at 1:00 so we’ll have some food and stuff before. Some pulled pork sandwiches, chips, and drinks. SafeCo is going to be there with the trolley.
We’ve got the Jacksonville Drumline Institute coming for the halftime show. So it should be a pretty good event. There’s a raffle as well for a gas grill. So that’s kind of the nutshell of it. The event that day should be a good time, and I want to thank Edward Jones for sponsoring us and making it possible.”
Gillespie says special thanks also goes out to Walmart for the donation of the gas grill for the raffle.
Jason Bryant with the Jacksonville Police Department says he and his fellow officers are happy to take part in the event and to help a good cause.
“Going back to the basis of the Guns & Hoses thing, this is a rivalry that has probably been around since fire and police have been around. And it’s great to see something like this be able to benefit an organization like the United Way and a community like Jacksonville.”
Pregame festivities begin at 12:30 with kick-off set for 1:00 pm. Admission is free, with donations to the team of your choice to be counted towards the game score.
For more information about the event please contact Karen Walker at Prairieland United Way by phone at 217-245-4557 or by email at info@prairielandunitedway.org.
