A Special Event for Special Athletes

On April 22, 2006 The Great Imponderables, a live band from the Cashiers area, had the privilege of being part of a very special event. It was called, “Cops on Top.” This was the first event of its kind in Sylva, NC.

 The event began on Friday morning, April 21 at 6:00am. It continued until the following Sunday evening at 6:00pm. The purpose of the event was to raise funds for the NC Special Olympic Athletes. Jeff Postell with the Sylva Police Department said they were doing this, “to show that the officers are willing to do whatever it takes.”

 Officers set up tents on the roof of a local business to make it their new home for over 60 hours. Despite rain and cold weather, officers, as well as faculty and staff from WCU, camped out on the roof of the business. Amanda Parker, also from the Sylva police department, had been up for over 30 consecutive hours when the band arrived.

Area children and their parents had the opportunity to meet and have their pictures taken with Smokey the Bear, McGruff, the famous Bojangle’s chicken, Sparky (from the fire department), and a host of characters. Area fire departments brought some of their trucks and equipment including the ladder truck from Cullowhee. The ladder was extended to reach a height of 95 feet into the air.

Local rescue squads and the NC Forest Service were also on hand. You could see some of the resources that are available to them, as well as equipment used for rescue and fighting forest fires. One rescue vehicle set up its equipment to provide lighting while the band performed.

There were several other events, including a bake sale, wing eating contest, a dunking booth, celebrity biscuit making, and more. They even had a “womanless” beauty pageant. I had never heard of this. When I asked what it was, I was told, “a bunch of the men dressed up as women.” Hmm. Sounded interesting enough. As they were paraded around on the back of ATV’s through the parking lot, the band kicked of with “Pretty Woman.”  However, after seeing such a display it brought into question, “These are the same guys that are supposed to be protecting us?” Just kidding guys.  Some of you really didn’t look that bad. Maybe you could shave the legs next time.

The event was a success with over $5,000 being raised over the weekend. More contributions were forth coming during the writing of this article. Organizers are already gearing up to see what they can do next year.

For more information or to see how you can help, contact The Great Imponderables at www.thegreatimponderables.com or Amanda Parker at the Sylva Police Department at 828-586-2916

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