Maggie to Join the Fireworks at La Crosse River Vault

Fireworks will light up the sky this 4th of July and so will the pole-vaulters at the 6th Annual River Vault competition in La Crosse, Wis.Thousands of spectators are expected to watch some 65 athletes from all over the Midwest compete in six different categories Saturday. Joining in the patriotic celebration will be All-American Maggie Steele, the storybook heroine of the inspiring novel, Maggie Vaults Over the Moon."Maggie's delighted to be invited back to one of the best street vault events in the nation!" said author Grant Overstake.The River Vault takes place on the annual July 4th Riverfest, where upwards of 20,000 people gather to enjoy the many festivities, activities, and of course, delicious food. Riverfest is highlighted by a top-notch fireworks show in Riverside Park, making the River Vault a great event to watch while fest-goers stake out their seats early for the fireworks.This year the runway will be set up on a giant barge on the Mississippi River near Riverside Park! The levee there serves as a walking path and docking station for the giant paddle-wheeler boats that travel the mighty river from Minneapolis to St. Louis.

Elite vaulters will compete for $1,500 in cash prizes. This year’s elite roster includes Olympic hopefuls Mark Hollis, Peter Geraghty, Zach Siegmeier, Jeff Coover and more. Coover currently sits 5th in the United States for the 2015 season with a personal best of 18’ 7.5”. A great field of youth and college girls from age 12 to 23 also will compete.

Maggie Vaults Over the Moon is the story of a gutsy farm girl who overcomes tragedy and soars to new heights as a pole-vaulter.The young adult novel has been endorsed by US Olympic vaulters, coaches and other key people in the sport for its positive message, including River Vault coordinator and founder, Jeremiah Burish, who awarded copies of the novel to last year's winners, and is eager to give more away on Saturday."I read Maggie and thought that it would be an awesome addition to our River Vault," Burish said. "It is a great story about adversity and overcoming obstacles. I believe everyone can relate to this book as we have all had some sort of barriers to overcome as athletes, students, or in life."Like the La Crosse River Vault on Facebook!Maggie is now available on audiobook performed by Tavia Gilbert at Downpour.com, Audible.com, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Indigo Books & Music, Indiebound and many other sites. CD/Library versions of the audiobook are available at BlackstoneAudio.com.