This Friday, January 27th, will tip-off the Annual Castle Challenge, which coincides with the DeKalb vs. Sycamore High School basketball game at the Northern Illinois University Convocation Center. The girls’ varsity game will begin at 6:00 pm with the boys’ varsity following at 8:00 pm. There will be musical entertainment, games for kids, and special appearances by Miss Illinois, Miss Wisconsin, and Miss Iowa.

The Challenge was created to increase attendance at athletic events, raise funds, and enhance awareness of the Sycamore Sports Booster and the DeKalb Barb Booster organizations.  Local businesses, organizations, and individuals are “Challenged” to help raise funds that will help support school athletic programs with net proceeds being distributed to the school’s booster clubs.

The Castle Challenge was created in 2000 by Gary Evans and Ron Bemis, employees of Castle Bank who were looking for an opportunity to help raise money for the DeKalb and Sycamore Sports Booster Clubs. The concept was for Castle Bank to offer the lead sponsorship of the event and they would then challenge other local businesses from DeKalb and Sycamore to donate a minimum of $500.  This donation would then be used for sponsorship of the local high school football game between the two rival towns. Last year alone, during the 2010-2011 year, the Castle Challenge brought in $65,000 for the two local sport booster clubs to split.

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