They dedicate their lives to fighting crime and fires to keep St. Louis safe, and tomorrow they'll be showing off their strength and agility at the Kräftig Light River City Rumble. Police officers from St. Louis City, St. Louis County, and Madison County along with firemen and women from the Eureka fire department, Herculaneum fire department, and some officers from the Missouri State Patrol will be duking it out in a boxing tournament against other similar teams from across the country, including New York City, Kansas, Louisiana, and Illinois. The event will be free to enter, and 50 percent of concession sales will benefit local charities The Backstoppers, which supports the families of fallen police officers, firefighters and emergency medical personnel, and Responder Rescue, which assists injured St. Louis-area first responders.
The teams originate from the popular Guns 'N Hoses events, which started here in the '80s and have now spread across the country. However, unlike Guns 'N Hoses where police and firefighters battle each other, River City Rumble will team them together to box against similar groups from other states.
Steve Holley, local boxing legend, member of the St. Louis Boxing Hall of Fame, and event promoter, expects around 8,000 to 10,000 people at the event tomorrow night at the Family Arena, including local politicians and labor leaders.
"Really what this whole event is about supporting the community and getting people involved in a fun, free, family-friendly event," he explains. "Boxing has been a labor of love my whole life, and this event really goes to a great cause."
The Kraftig Light River City Rumble will take place this Friday, July 13 at 7 p.m. at The Family Arena (2002 Arena Parkway, 636-896-4200) in St. Charles. Admission is free and tickets will be available at the door. The event is sponsored by Kräftig Light, The Family Arena, Summit Distributing, Ameristar, Lockerdome.com, Reactor Watches, Holiday Inn Riverport, and Pappy’s Smokehouse. For more information, click HERE.
