While parents anxiously wait to see if their rubber shark is the first to cross the finish line in the Sharky 500 Oct. 17 at Bristol Motor Speedway, younger family members will have plenty to keep them occupied at the Kid's Expo.
Once again, a free Kid's Expo will be part of the popular Sharky 500, a Speedway Children's Charities event which raises funds for agencies in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia.
Scheduled from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., kids have the opportunity to check out all the cool costumes in the Halloween Express costume fashion show and enjoy plenty of fun in the Pepsi Inflatable Playland. Among other activities available are the Appalachian Caverns Rock Wall, face painting and big wheel racing. Randy Moore's War Wizard Monster Truck will be at the event, along with Sharky from Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies and the Wellmont One Helicopter. An acting workshop also will be offered by Barter Theater.
Live entertainment will be featured as well, with McKenna Andrews performing on stage at 11:45 a.m., followed by J4, the local foursome who won the CBS Early Show Singing Family Face-Off earlier this year.
Parents have the opportunity to take to the World's Fastest Half-Mile too, during Track laps for Kids. For $25, which will benefit the Bristol Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities, participants can drive their own cars around BMS for five laps. To pre-register, please call (423) 989-6975.
The Sharky 500 takes place at 1:30 in the creek at the Speedway with the winning shark earning its owner the 2009 Ford Mustang pace car from Bristol Motor Speedway.
Second place is $5,000 to Grand Home Furnishings and third place is a vacation package to Universal Studios Orlando, courtesy of All Journeys Travel and Allegiant Air.
Prizes also will be award for fourth place through 10th place. Winners are not required to be present to win and there is no limit on the number of sharks that may be purchased.
All area Pizza Plus locations, Grand Home Furnishing stores and Fas Mart convenience stores are selling the sharks for just $10. The sharks also are available at www.bristolmotorspeedway.com.
