Dexter boy may be dirtiest in America
Published 12:00 am Friday, October 29, 1999
DEXTER – Michael Van-Buskirk, 8, is one of the Tide Dirty Dozen.
Friday, October 29, 1999
DEXTER – Michael Van-Buskirk, 8, is one of the Tide Dirty Dozen.
He wants to be the dirtiest of the dozen.
The soap company selected VanBuskirk, one of 12 finalists from more than 1,300 nationwide entries, to compete for the title of "Tide’s Dirtiest Kid in America."
"I like to ride my go-cart and the mud usually flies up and gets me," said VanBuskirk of his qualifications for being selected the Dirtiest Kid in America.
A fifth generation family member, he is the son of Jason VanBuskirk and Angie and Neal Anderson. His grandparents are Ric and Chris Hahn, Harry and Bev VanBuskirk and Duane and Sally Anderson.
VanBuskirk and the other finalists’ pictures appear in the November 1 issue of "People Magazine" in an advertisement.
Anyone can vote for VanBuskirk to be the "Dirtiest Kid in America" by calling the Tide toll-free voting hot line, 1-800-TIDEKID (1-800-843-3543) until Nov. 9.
They may also vote online at www.tidesdirtiestkid.com.
VanBuskirk, 8 and a fifth grader in Hayfield Elementary School, "nominated" her grandson after a visit to the family farm and taking his photograph sitting on a box of Tide soap, while greasing a tractor’s wheel.
The finalists, ranging in age from 7 to 10 years of age, will compete in a final "Stain-A-Thon Showdown" November 13 in New York City’s Grand Central Station.
The boys and girls will run through a "Wild-West-theme" obstacle course loaded with stains, ranging from ketchup and chocolate pudding to mud and whipped cream.
The grimy group will be rated on stain coverage, stain composition and artistic merit by a celebrity panel.
In addition to the voting by viewing the Tide Dirty Dozen’s mug shops in People magazine (page 137) and online, consumers will generate a donation of 50 cents to $10,000 to Give Kids The World, a non-profit organization that provides a free Florida vacation to children with life-threatening illnesses and their families.
The Dirtiest Kid in America will be crowned at the conclusion of the November 13 competition and receive a free trip for four to Orlando for three-days and two-nights, including tickets to Walt Disney World.
Each Dirty Dozen finalist receives a trip to new York City for three days and nights to compete, plus dinner/theater tickets, $100 in spending money, a Maytag Atlantis washer and dryer and a year’s supply of new Tide with Advanced Hydrogen Peroxide.
Tide first conducted its search for the Dirtiest Kid in America in 1996 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the detergent.
Tide debuted in 1946 and became known as the world’s first heavy-duty laundry detergent, triggering a "detergent revolution" that forever changed the way people clean.
It is the best-selling laundry detergent in the industry.