by KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – For the first time, leading mattress manufacturer MLILY USA will sponsor a “Bed, Brews and Boos” Bed Race competition on October 31, at the World’s Fair Park, in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee. With participants dressed in costumes and beds racing down the street, the Halloween event will allow guests to participate in the race to help raise funds for Special Spaces, a non-profit with whom MLILY partners to help create dream bedrooms for children fighting cancer.
The competition will consist of corporate and community teams of five, including four runners who will push the bed and one person who will ride on the bed. Each team must provide their own bed and can choose their own decorative theme. The contestants will compete for top spots in creativity and, of course, speed on the course!
“The Bed, Brews and Boos event is part charity fundraiser, part competition, part community builder and 100 percent fun,” said Stephen Chen, president MLILY USA. “Sharing in the excitement with the goal of helping to raise money for Special Spaces is another way we can help support the wonderful work they do right here in Tennessee and across the country. We chose to be involved as the ‘king-level’ sponsor because we know that the lead sponsor fees will be enough to provide three bedroom makeovers, which will give three very deserving children a safe place to recover, heal, sleep and play.”
MLILY has three teams entered in the race, one from each of its locations in Tennessee. The Knoxville corporate team will have a JAMA-themed bed with the team dressing in pajamas, the Chattanooga warehouse team will have a Batmobile bed with Batman themed character costumes, and the Andersonville warehouse team is keeping their theme and costumes a secret for now.
“This event is a wonderful opportunity for us help bring the community together for a worthy cause,” Chen said. “Special Spaces years ago had Bed Race fundraisers, but when the organizer retired, the event was retired as well. When we started working with them and I heard about the past events, I suggested that we resurrect the race and sponsor it.” Chen added, “I grew up in Ft. Wayne, Indiana where there was –and still is—an annual Bed Race event, in which I frequently participated, so I was excited to bring this one back to life.”
The philanthropic event has sparked excitement and will kick off with the Bed Race at 1:00 p.m. Only twin or full-size beds can be used and must include a headboard and footboard as part of the design. Four wheels are permitted on the four corners of the beds, but no braking or steering devices are allowed.There is also a contest for best decorated bed followed by a trick or treat candy give away and a Halloween celebration featuring local brews and spirits, food trucks, music and more. The one-eighth mile race spans the length of approximately two football fields and begins and ends at the Sunsphere located at World’s Fair Park Drive.
Registered teams will receive a free mattress from MLILY’s JAMA Collection, which features two mattresses, a five-inch and seven-inch model, and is designed to give children their first “big kid” mattress. The bed can be used as an additional mattress on top of the teams’ existing mattress during the race or for their own personal use. In addition, each member of the winning team will receive a free adult-size MLILY mattress.
Sponsors for the event include: WBIR-TV Channel 10; WIVK-FM 107.7; 99.1 The Sports Animal; Knoxville TVA Employees Credit Union; Ole Smoky Moonshine; Pugh CPAs; Pipe Wrench Home Services; Cherokee Distributing Company; TIS Insurance Services, Inc.; Label Industries; YeeHaw Beer; and KnoxNews.
