Fireball Run finished its route through the Williamsburg area with a celebration in New Town on Monday, and a crowd of Historic Triangle residents turned out to watch the show’s arrival and meet the cast.
The adventure travel web series features teams of drivers competing in an eight-day, 2,000-mile traveling trivia game, stopping at various junctures along the route to complete challenges and solve puzzles.
This season is “Space Race”-themed and the cast includes NASA Astronaut Jon McBride; Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian in space and holder of the title Hero of the Soviet Union; Marcos Cesar Pontes, a Brazilian astronaut; and Jean-Loup Chretien, a retired French brigadier general.
The driving teams arrived in the Williamsburg area on Monday after departing from Queen Anne’s County, Maryland the previous day. Teams completed challenges at various local hotspots like Busch Gardens and Jamestown Settlement before heading over to New Town to cross the finish line in the late afternoon.
Many teams of drivers brought physical donations in the form of strollers, cribs and playpens for Child Development Resources. For each location the racers visit, one charity that serves the local community is chosen to be highlighted; the Greater Williamsburg Chamber & Tourism Alliance selected CDR in honor of its 50th anniversary this year.
Along with the local charities at each destination, the show also gives back through working with the Child Rescue Network. Each team is given 1,000 posters of a missing child to pass out to onlookers and post in prominent locations at each destination they visit. The show’s website reports that 44 children have been recovered as the result of its efforts.
NASA was on site providing family-friendly activities, and once the astronauts arrived, fans had an opportunity to get merchandise from the show signed by them.
Once all 47 teams crossed the finish line the cast and crew adjourned to Legacy Hall, where Hogarth’s Bar and Bistro and the chefs from the Culinary Institute of Virginia hosted a dinner of authentic Virginia fare, including locally produced ham, seafood and bourbon.
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