TREMONT — More than 300 off-road vehicles will be at the Rausch Creek Off-Road Park on May 21 to raise money for the Pennsylvania and Maryland chapters of the Concerns of Police Survivors nonprofit organization.
“Krawlin for COPS,” now in its third year, was previously held in Maryland and West Virginia. The event has grown from about 50 vehicles and 200 people to about 120 vehicles and 300 people last year, Brandt Bartman, one of the event organizers, said Tuesday. Bartman, who organizes the event with Kevin McMullen, said that they outgrew those locations.
“It keeps getting bigger and bigger,” Bartman said Tuesday. “Rausch Creek is a big place and it is well known throughout the off-road industry.”
Bartman said there were 300 vehicles already registered for the event on Tuesday. Registration is open until the day of the event.
Registration is $25 and can be done online at www.nfgoffroad.com, where more information is also available.
The event will benefit the Pennsylvania and Maryland chapters of COPS, a nonprofit organization that provides resources and assistance for family members and friends of police officers who died in the line of duty.
They event will also feature 162 sponsors, food vendors and about $40,000 worth of raffle prizes. It starts at 7 a.m. and runs until midnight. Check-in starts at 8 a.m., Bartman said. Raffles start at 6 p.m.
“It’s definitely going to be fun,” Bartman said.
A police officer for Amtrak in Baltimore, Bartman said he started the event to support an organization that helps families like his own.
“These are people that I never met in my life, but I am thankful there is a charity out there that is helping families who had a loved one die in the line of duty,” Bartman said. “I do this because I never know if I’m going to come home at the end of my shift. We never know what is going to happen. I enjoy this event and helping families.”