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We got lots of compliments on our coverage of the Special Olympics earlier this year<\/a>, including a lot of readers emailing to say that the articles had tugged at their heartstrings—well, this Saturday is your chance to tug back. <\/span>For one of the coolest charity events I’ve ever heard of, the Long Beach Airport is hosting a plane pull competition to benefit Special Olympics Southern California. <\/span><\/p>\n \n Teams of 20 will strap in and struggle to pull a 153-foot, 158,000-pound FedEx 727 aircraft 25 feet down the tarmac. <\/span>There will be prizes for the fastest and slowest times, as well as for the most creative team—I have no idea what that means. <\/span>But the real purpose of the contest—other than to see whether police officers or firefighters are stronger—is to raise money for a worthy organization. “Last year’s event raised $16,000 and this year’s goal is to more than double that to $35,000,” says Bill Shumard, President and CEO of Special Olympics Southern California. <\/span><\/p>\n \n Each team of 20 will have to donate a tax-deductible minimum of $1,000; if you’d like to enter as an individual, it’s $50. <\/span>If you’re interested in entering as a team or an individual, sign-up info is available at www.socalplanepull.com<\/a>, or you can arrive on the day of the event (this Saturday, August 16) at 8:45 in the morning. <\/span>If you’re going to watch, and perhaps donate without the stress of pulling a plane, the competition will begin at ten in the morning. <\/span>If you’re going as a contestant or spectator, take Wardlow into the airport off Cherry, and park in the Boeing lot.<\/p>\n If you can’t make it out, check this live video player Saturday morning to see video–we’ll post it again towards the top the day of.<\/p>\n