The Minden Fire Department and the Minden Police Department will match up in a game of softball in the third annual Battle of the Badges.
The game will begin at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 29, at the Minden Recreation Complex.
Minden is known for its giving heart, and the proceeds from this year’s game, as in the previous two years, will go to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, fire chief Kip Mourad said.
“This is the third year we’ve done it,” he said. “Three years ago, me and one of my men and a policeman were talking, and it was just one of those things. My guys just said, ‘Let’s get a game with them.’”
And as they say, the rest is history. Mourad says they discussed charging a fee at the gate and donating it to St. Jude, as Minden is one of the biggest donors to the children’s research hospital.
“Last year, it got bigger, and this year, we had the game planned, and somebody offered to donate something for a raffle prize,” he said.
It grew from there. This year, raffle items include a 50-quart Yeti ice chest, a handgun, a two-man ladder stand, deer camera, five-gallon deer feeder, a 32-inch Vizio television set and a his or her watch. Also donated is an LSU fire pit, half-carat diamond earrings and a one-ton deer corn.
Raffle tickets are $10 per chance and will be sold during the game as well as before.
The grand prize will be $1,000, and the winner must be present to win. If not present, then the winner will receive $500 and the other $500 will go to St. Jude.
A bounce house will also be available for the kids during the game.
Mourad emphasized every dollar from gate entrance to concessions will be donated to the children’s research hospital.
Contact the Central Fire Station or the Minden Police Department for a grand prize ticket.
“It’s definitely a friendly competition,” he said, adding the police department won the game the first year, and the fire department won last year.
The winning team will take home bragging rights to go into next year’s game.