Celebrity softball to aid charity

Team captains Darius Rucker of Hootie & the Blowfish and actor Bill Murray will join Louis Yuhasz, founder of Louie's Kids, for a softball game with a cause.

The "Slim Down the South Celebrity Softball Challenge" will help raise money to combat childhood obesity, benefiting Louie's Kids and Run Buddies.

The event, planned for 2 p.m. Saturday at Riley Park, will include an array of television personalities, musicians and local news anchors. Celebrities from "Army Wives," "Top Chef," "The Biggest Loser" and "Expedition Impossible" will participate.

General admission tickets are $12; box seats are $25. They can be purchased online at www.slimdownthesouth.com. Sponsors of the event include Piggly Wiggly, Wells Fargo, Southwest Airlines, the Charleston RiverDogs, Charleston Magazine, WEZL Radio, Y102.5, WCIV-TV News 4, Charming Inns, Modus 21, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Odle Uniform, Cinebarre, Rawle-Mur-dy, JFletcher Designs, Limelight Signs and WAT AAH Waters.

About a quarter of children in the state are obese, according to the S.C. Institute for Childhood Obesity and Related Disorders. Obesity leads to Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and other chronic disorders that can set in early and persist a lifetime.