Vikings Blast the Cold

Hall of Famer Carl Eller is among the many former Vikings greats that will be part of this weekend's Arctic Blast Snowmobile Rally to benefit the Vikings Children's Fund Saturday and Sunday at Mille Lacs in Central Minnesota.

One of the Vikings' longest and most successful charity events of the year will take place Saturday and Sunday, and the Vikings, Arctic Cat, the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe and Miller Brewing Co. combine forces with current and former Vikings and the Vikings cheerleaders for the 13th annual Arctic Blast Snowmobile Rally.

A full slate of events are scheduled over the two days, including a kickoff brunch at Eddy’s Lake Mille Lacs Resort and live music fireworks after dark at the Vikings headquarters at the Blue Goose Inn in Garrison. The rally includes stop-offs at various establishments around Mille Lacs Lake, where players stop in to sign autographs and pose for pictures with fans.

Sunday morning will be highlighted with a $30,000 prize party held at the Mille Laces Events and Convention Center. The top prize will be the winners choice of a 2008 Arctic Cat Snowmobile or ATV. Other prizes will include season ticket packages and single-game tickets for Vikings 2008 home games.

All the money raised goes to benefit the Vikings Children’s Fund, which has raised more than $8 million dollars that has been donated to hundreds of children's-based charities since the VCF was formed in 1978.

Current Vikings expected to appear include Chris Kluwe, Brooks Bollinger and Aundrae Allison, as well as former Vikings greats Bud Grant, Paul Krause, Carl Eller, Jim Marshall, Dave Osborn, Doug Sutherland, Stu Voigt, Gerald Robinson and Matt Blair. Vikings Radio Network announcers Paul Allen and Pete Bercich will also take part in the festivities.

To ride with the Vikings, the cost of registration for the rally is $35 and registration can be done the day of the event at any of the Blast Point stopovers along the route. For a list of Blast Points or more information on how you can participate of donate to the VCF, call 952-828-6577 or visit the team's website – www.vikings.com.