Big Slick 2016 unveils celebrity guests coming to Kansas City

Olivia Wilde, James Marsden, Judy Greer and Kevin Rahm are among the celebrities who will play softball at the K, bowl in Overland Park and raise money as part of the Big Slick Celebrity Weekend next week.

The event — hosted by hometown stars Rob Riggle, Paul Rudd, Jason Sudeikis, Eric Stonestreet and David Koechner — will mark its seventh year of benefiting the Cancer Center at Children’s Mercy on June 17 and 18.

This is the first batch of celebrity guests to be announced, and organizers will release more names in the coming days.

Wilde, who is Sudeikis’ fiancee, stars in HBO’s “Vinyl.” Marsden may be best known for playing the original Cyclops in the “X-Men” franchise. Rahm is featured on TV’s “Madam Secretary.” They’ve all participated in previous Big Slicks. Greer, who co-starred in TV’s “Arrested Development” and appeared in Rudd’s “Ant-Man,” is making her Big Slick debut.

As in previous years, the celebrity hosts will kick off Big Slick on June 17 with a news conference at Children’s Mercy, followed by a visit with patients. The celebrity guests will join the hosts for a softball game at 5 that afternoon at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals play the Detroit Tigers that night.

The following day, celebrities will begin arriving at 9:45 a.m. for a public red carpet before the sold-out charity bowling tournament at Pinstripes at Prairiefire in Overland Park.

The main fundraiser, an auction that night at the Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland, is sold out. Past auction items included set visits to “Modern Family,” in which Stonestreet stars, tickets to the “Ant-Man” premiere and autographed merchandise.

To get into the election-year spirit, people can pay $1 toward charity and vote for their favorite celebrity at bigslickkc.com. The hosts have campaigned for votes since April with posters and tweets. Donations of $10 and up will get you Big Slick merchandise, including bumper stickers, campaign buttons, T-shirts and posters.

Since Big Slick began as a charity poker tournament in 2010, it has donated more than $3.25 million to Children’s Mercy, organizers say. Last year’s event alone raised $1.1 million. Past celebrity guests have included Selena Gomez, Will Ferrell and Jon Hamm.

Singer Chris Daughtry is already confirmed to participate in the softball game.

The Cancer Center at Children’s Mercy provides care for almost 2,000 children a year and is recognized by U.S. News and World Report as the 31st-ranked pediatric center in the nation.

Source: The Kansas City Star