Mad River Mountain, pro snowboarder hosting charity event this weekend

A charity snowboarding event hosted by an Olympian will be held at a local ski resort this weekend.

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The 14th annual Louie Vito Rail Jam for Charity will be from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday at Mad River Mountain, 1000 Snow Valley Road, Zanesfield.

Vito, a Bellefontaine native, is a professional snowboarder who has multiple U.S. Grand Prix championships. He also represented the United States in the Winter Olympics in Vancouver in 2010. He also appeared on Season 9 of Dancing with the Stars.

To enter the rail jam — a competition where snowboarders jump up on to steel rails and other objects — participants must bring a canned food item, Mad River Mountain Marketing Director Michael Mihnovets said. All proceeds from the event will benefit St. Vincent De Paul in Bellefontaine, Mihnovets said.

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“It’s one of our largest events of the year,” he said.

Registration and practice will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will be followed by an autograph session with Vito from 2 to 3 p.m. The competition will be held from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. for ages 10-and-up.

The competition is followed by an awards ceremony, live entertainment, including Columbus band SWAGG. Fireworks are expected to be held at about 9:30 p.m. It will also include free giveaways and large raffles, Mihnovets said.

About 200 people attended the event last year with about 80 people participating in the competition, Mihnovets said.

A full schedule can be found at skimadriver.com.

Photos: Scenes from Mad River Mountain - Springfield News-Sun

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