Cosmic Snowballs to host flea market fundraiser

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

The Charles City Middle School Robotics team is preparing for its upcoming trip to Massachusetts with its second annual Flea Market Fundraiser.

Scheduled for Sunday, April 13, from noon to 3 p.m., the Comet Gym will be packed with vendors with a wide range of goods for sale. Outside, Cosmic Smash Burger and Churasan will also be on hand to serve lunch.

Visiting shoppers can also see the Cosmic Snowballs in action as they perform robotics demonstrations and a range of STEAM activities through the afternoon.

Proceeds from the event will go toward the team’s trip to the Worchester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts in June where they will compete in the WPI Annual First Lego League Event.

Finishing in the top five in this year’s state championship, the Cosmic Snowballs were invited to the international contest where they will represent Iowa as one of more than 100 robotics teams from around the globe.

While the Snowballs are preparing to compete on an international stage, Coach Patrick Nyberg has also started a lower-stakes spring program for the club where interested kids can try out robotics without the pressure of the competitive season.

“I want it to be almost like robotics-lite,” said Nyberg. “It’s really important to me to make it accessible to as many kids as possible.”

The spring season will climax this weekend with an exhibition tournament during the fundraiser.