Crystal Fresh Market cookout to support Forest Park robotics team

Crystal Fresh Market & Ace Hardware will turn its lunch counter into a fundraiser Friday, July 10, when the Crystal Falls store hosts a Summer Cookout for Forest Park School’s Trojan Power Robotics team. The cookout runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1363 US Highway 2, with ribeye steak sandwiches, chips and water sold for $7, and a portion of each sale going to Team 9674.

The event gives shoppers a direct way to back a Forest Park program that has already established itself in FIRST competition. Trojan Power Robotics is based at Forest Park School in Crystal Falls, and FIRST records list 2024 as its rookie year. The team’s 2026 robot is Indiana Bones, and records show it competed in the Lake Superior State University district event in March 2026.

For the team, the money raised at the cookout can help with the routine costs that keep a robotics season moving, including materials, travel and competition expenses. Those costs can add up quickly for a young program, especially one still building experience and visibility while trying to stay active in district events. The cookout also works as a public introduction for residents who want to learn more about the students, the robot and the work behind the name.

Crystal Fresh Market’s role in the fundraiser puts a local business in the middle of that support network. The store, which lists regular hours of Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., is using a busy summer lunchtime window to draw both regular customers and passersby on U.S. 2. In a county where school programs often rely on volunteer labor, sponsor help and small-dollar fundraising, the partnership gives the team a visible place in the community and gives the market a chance to reinforce its ties to Forest Park.

Trojan Power Robotics has already shown it can draw support beyond one event. In August 2025, the West Iron County Robotics Booster Club and Forest Park Trojan Power Robotics held a separate fundraiser at Alpha Michigan Brewing Company that included a hot dog and brat bar, basket raffles, a 50-50 raffle, door prizes and a robot display. Team 9674’s 2026 sponsor list includes GEI Consultants, the Crystal Falls Area Community Foundation and Forest Park School, underscoring how the program depends on a mix of school, community and outside backing to keep competing.