News release from Club Cal Neva and The American Cancer Society
Knowing no bounds, the Club Cal Neva will once again push the envelope with La Tomatina en Reno, what the club believes will be the nation’s largest ever food fight.
On Saturday, August 29, 2009, at approximately 6:00 p.m., the City Plaza at 10 North Virginia Street will be covered with people drenched in tomato juice as a crowd estimated to be between 3,000 and 5,000 people participate in the country’s biggest tomato fight.
Admission in to the tomato fight is a minimum $10.00 donation with all profit from the event going to the American Cancer Society.
The event will begin at 1:00 p.m. with street vendors populating Virginia Street between First and Second Streets. Visitors will be able to enjoy plenty of food, beverage, and live street acts while they peruse for gifts and novelties from various local vendors. Food and merchandise vendors will also be on the City Plaza venue where live bands and other entertainment will be showcased.
The day will climax at 6:00 p.m. when roughly five tons of tomatoes will spill onto the City Plaza and thousands will scramble to pick up their ammunition for the biggest food fight the city of Reno, the state of the Nevada, and quite possibly the United States has ever seen.
“This city has done a lot of events,” said Jeff Siri, chief executive officer of the Club Cal Neva. “But to the best of my knowledge, the city has never seen an event quite like this one. It’s a chance for local residents as well as our out of town guests to see something new. And a chance for them to go home with a lifetime of memories and the feeling of having contributed to an extremely worthy cause. This event is going to be remembered.”
The Club Cal Neva and the ACS are currently driving to increase local business participation and urge the business community to come out and support their event.
“The American Cancer Society is so thrilled to be partnering with Club Cal Neva for this important and exciting community event,” said Mandi Davidson, district executive director for the American Cancer Society. “With the support of Club Cal Neva and other local businesses we can make progress to see a world without Cancer. Local businesses can often benefit from events like the La Tomatina Festival by creating awareness, buzz, and allowing themselves to be visible in front of a large number of local constituents!”
La Tomatina has its roots in Bunol, a small city located in the Valencia Province of Spain. The event has a strong tradition in the small Spanish town and for more than 50 years has attracted anywhere between 20,000 and 50,000 participants.
But Phil Kenny, director of casino operations and events for the Club Cal Neva said that in order to understand this event, you have to see it. Those interested in the event can get a better a look at it on YouTube by typing in a search for the keywords: La Tomatina. Or they can get a look at the event by visiting the Club Cal Neva’s Facebook fan page at http://bit.ly/tomatofight.
While La Tomatina en Reno won’t be quite close to the same size as its predecessor in Bunol, the Club Cal Neva still expects that anywhere between 3,000 and 5,000 participants will engage in the tomato fight. “It’s a one-of-a-kind event,” said Kenny. “And the minimum donation is for a great cause. We really don’t want that to get lost on anyone. This event is for a foundation that represents every human being. Everyone, at one time or another, has had their lives affected by cancer.”
The Club Cal Neva will take corporate donations and accept advance donations for the event at the main cashier’s cage inside the casino. All donations are tax deductible. For more information on Club Cal Neva’s La Tomatina en Reno, call 877.777.7303 or email [email protected].
