Fundraiser In Honor Of Man Killed On Iron Range Raising Money For Scholarships, Reward Fund

VIRGINIA, Minn. — The family of a man who was killed in a hit-and-run on the Iron Range is starting  a poker run and chili feed fundraiser in his memory.

Scotty Christensen died in October of 2016 when he was walking on the side of Highway 100 South of Aurora.

Police believe he was hit by a car that drove off, and that driver has never been caught.

His family is hosting an event in Virginia on Sunday that will raise money to fund scholarships for students interested in pursuing degrees in welding and blacksmithing, which were two of Scotty’s interests.

“I want to raise monies for things that were a lot of his passions he had his two-year welding degree, he was into blacksmithing, growing up he was in 4-H, so I want to do some kind of positive things in his memory,” Rita Licari, Scotty’s mom, said.

She remembers her son as a fun-loving, goofy guy who had a lot of friends.

His nicknames were “Smiley” and “The Joker.”

Part of the money collected on Sunday will also help raise the reward that leads to the identity of the driver who hit him, which is currently at $5,000.

“Every day is hard, I try to find things to do to distract, but in the end it still comes down to he should be here and he’s not,” Lecari said. “Being able to find some answers in that would help us on that end.”

The first annual Scotty Christensen “Joker” poker run and curbside chili feed is this Sunday at the Olcott Park in Virginia.

You can get there at 10 a.m. to sign up for the poker run if you’re 21 or older, or if you just want to enjoy some good food and raffle prizes, you can go there anytime from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.