CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Billy Pace Memorial Championship Wrestling will host a “Fight for a Knight” benefit show Friday to raise money for the families and staff affected by the Kenwood Middle School bus crash.

The fundraiser will include a professional wrestling event and silent auction at the Clarksville National Guard Armory, 1801 Fort Campbell Blvd. “We’re doing this benefit show in honor of the 24 children and the teachers that were onboard the bus that day,” General Manager Billy Pace said. “We reserved front row seats for the 24 children, their families and the teachers.”

As previously reported by Clarksville Now, on March 27, a Kenwood Middle School bus carrying 24 STEM students and five adults crashed head-on with a TDOT dump truck in Carroll County. Two eighth-grade students, Zoe Davis and Arianna Pearson, were killed and several others were critically injured.

How the benefit came together and what attendees can expect

Pace said he created Billy Pace Memorial Championship Wrestling in honor of his son, who was murdered in 2016. “He was a big professional wrestling fan, so my wife and I decided that we would do something to help give back to the community.”

Pace told Clarksville Now the promotion typically hosts only two shows a year—one in April for homicide awareness and one in September for suicide prevention and drug overdose awareness. He said one of his other sons, a professional wrestler and former Kenwood Middle School student, suggested the benefit in response to the bus crash to help the families affected.

Pace added those families will have free admission and early entry at 6 p.m. Presale ticket holders can also enter at 6 p.m. Kenwood students pay $10, while general admission is $15, and the doors open to the public at 6:30 p.m. Pace said there will be seven matches throughout the night and concessions available.

Bell time is at 7:30 p.m., following the national anthem sung by a Kenwood Middle School student and a moment of silence for Zoe and Arianna. Pace said the main event will be the “Kenwood Street Fight”—where two wrestlers “who can’t stand each other…fight all over the building.”

There will also be a silent auction table, which Pace says local businesses and community members donated items for. He added that there is also one large gift basket valued at over $600, and attendees can make a $20 donation at the show to enter to win the basket.

Pace said the benefit does not have a specific fundraising goal, but that they want to raise as much as possible for the children and teachers on the bus that day. All proceeds will be donated to the CMC Education Foundation, which will distribute the funds to the families.

This article will be updated with photos and additional details.

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