Mayor Domenic J. Sarno will take part in the Dunk Tank Challenge tomorrow morning at the World's Largest Pancake Breakfast, which will be held downtown. A breakfast table will stretch along Main Street from Tower Square to Court Square - where the dunk tank will be stationed.
Also volunteering to be dunked with Mayor Sarno are Superintendent Daniel Warwick, City Council President Mike Fenton, School Committee Member Chris Collins, Representative Ben Swan, MGM Springfield President Mike Mathis, MGM Springfield Vice President Seth Stratton, White Lion Brewing Owner Ray Berry, Vice Chairman of American Legion Baseball District #3 Brian Collins, Springfield Post 21 Coach Jeffrey Garrow, Uno's Bar & Grille Owner Mike Hurwitz, Al Cabot, Facilities Operations Administrator Bob Mulcahey, Central High School Principal Tad Tokarz.
Contestants who make a donation to dunk the volunteers will see proceeds go to support the American Legion Post 21's baseball team's travel expenses to re-play a forfeited game in North Carolina. Eighty years ago, the team made it to the Eastern Regional Tournament in Gastonia, NC. Their African-American teammate, Earnest "Bunny" Taliaferro was not welcome to play, and the team collectively decided to leave before the game's start.
Mayor Sarno commented, "Well before Jackie Robinson, our young men of Post 21 stood up to racism. For that, I will not only continue to promote and stand with their legacy, ‘I’ll get dunked for this good and just cause too’. “I’m sure that between some anti-casino activists and some city councilors, Mike Mathis and I can raise them a ton of money!”
The dunk tank challenge will take place at Court Square, 36 Court Street, in downtown Springfield, MA between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. Mayor Sarno is set to be dunked between 10:05 at 10:20 a.m.
