What started as a fundraiser tying in the popular March collegiate basketball tournament with Perry’s Fourth of July fireworks has been given a local twist.

Chamber of Commerce Director Lynsi Pasutti says “The Big Boom Bracket Battle” will now pit eight prominent Perry residents, as decided by nominations from the public, in a three-round tournament where donations will decide who will be the winner. “So from those nominations we’ll set the brackets, and then each week we’ll have those different matchups. And so for instance if it was between Joe (Cerwinske) and Emily (Leslie), and Emily’s jar got more donations, then she would move on to the next round and she would be matched up with the other winner. So it’s the typical bracket setup, but the whole goal is to raise money for the fireworks drive. And at the end, the winner will have the privilege of getting a pie in the face at the Annual Dinner!”

Pasutti hopes the battle will be a fun event for the community, which will capitalize on the collective “bracket fever” of March. Nominations start Monday, with people able to make suggestions by stopping in or calling the Chamber office, or on their Facebook page. The battle will begin the following week, with voting stations set up at various locations. To learn more about this and other Chamber events, listen to today’s Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program on air and at RaccoonValleyRadio.com.