WILLMAR -- National Football League alumni help kick off this year's United Way fundraising campaign in Willmar.
Former Minnesota Vikings players Matt Blair, Ted Brown, Joey Browner, Doug Sutherland and Stu Voigt will attend the Taste of Kandiyohi from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday at the Kandi Mall in Willmar, said Stacey Roberts, executive director of the United Way of Kandiyohi County.
The players will help serve food from the 16 area restaurants participating in the event.
"BNSF (Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway) is a major sponsor," Roberts said. "They thought it would be good way for people coming to the event to meet the NFL alumni."
Kandi Mall, another sponsor of the event, will host the players from 1:30 to 3 p.m. as they sign autographs for shoppers at the mall.
ADVERTISEMENT
At the Taste of Kandiyohi, however, attendance will be limited to 600 people, Roberts said. Tickets are available at the United Way office or Friday at the door for $10 for adults and $8 for senior citizens and children. This year's United Way campaign goal is $750,000. Last year's goal was $630,000. So far $660,000, or 105 percent of last year's goal, has been raised, according to the agency's Web site.
