Audio By Carbonatix
Back in the days when video games basically consisted of a small dot bouncing back and forth between two lines (and were ridiculously expensive), kids had to think of other stuff to do with their time. And so it was that Connect Four, which amounted to tic-tac-toe with plastic disks, became a part of the childhood of every kid born in the 1970s and ’80s — making it ripe for a nostalgic resurgence in these ironic times.
“I really like Connect Four,” says Ross Carpenter, founder and events coordinator of the Benevolent Citizens Project, a promotional enterprise that helps generate the interest of a younger demographic in non-profit ventures. “I actually play it a lot, sometimes in bars for a $1 buy-in or something. So I got interested in doing this and did some research, and I found out the record for a game of Connect Four was 97 people. That seemed like something achievable to beat.”
Still, as Carpenter’s title suggests, the reason behind the World’s Largest Connect Four Tournament goes a little deeper: Proceeds from the $5 buy-in (which includes a free beer, door prizes and some “huge sled-dog trophies” for the winners) will go to benefit the Urban Music Experiment, a program being developed by Colorado Youth for a Change to get music classes to underprivileged kids whose schools are cutting them from their budgets.
The disks drop at 7 p.m. tonight at Stoney’s Bar & Grill, 1111 Lincoln Street. Space is limited, so those interested should RSVP to the BCP’s Facebook page, which you can access via www.benevolentcitizensproject.org.
Thu., Feb. 3, 7 p.m., 2011
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