Steelers rocker up for bid
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Brenda Franklin, owner of Big Mama's House of Soul, is raffling off this Awesome Rocker autographed by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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Brenda "Big Mama" Franklin, the singin' and prayin' proprietress of Big Mama's House of Soul soul food eatery on Penn Avenue in the Strip District, is offering her rocker.
She's selling raffle ticket chances to win the rocking chair autographed last year at training camp by most of the Pittsburgh Steelers, some of whom, including Hines Ward, eat at her place, and many of whom went on to win the Super Bowl (James Harrison and her buddy Santonio Holmes both signed the same slat).
She's changed her plans since we last wrote about her in early 2008 (search "Big Mama" at post-gazette.com/food), when she wanted to use the rocker to fuel a charitable fund to buy students musical instruments.
It was a CBS Early Show business makeover that got it rolling by getting her chair, which used to sit at the restaurant, autographed by the team.
Now, she's hoping the chair gets going her Big Mama's Cafe Reconcile and School of Culinary Soul.
"It's going to be a school of music and a school of food" for at-risk kids, she explained over the phone last week.
She says she's starting with 5,000 tickets, which cost $20 each and are available at the restaurant, 1603 Penn Ave. (412-471-2910).CQ
The drawing will be Sept. 10, when the Steelers open the season at home against the Tennessee Titans (and former Steeler Nate Washington, who also signed the chair).
First Published May 28, 2009 12:00 am
