Grease Worms back on the road for the Buffalo Run
Four Albany men will hit the road today as Team Grease Worms begins another journey in support of Camp Able during the 2026 Buffalo Run Adventure Challenge.
Returning team members Robert Snyder, Craig Winters and Matt Birkla are adding a fourth member this year, Blake Estridge, as they join dozens of teams from across Texas for the annual fundraiser, which combines a road trip, scavenger hunt and fundraising campaign into one weekend adventure.
After traveling to Pike’s Peak in Colorado during last year’s run, participants will head in a different direction this year. The 2026 route will take teams to Branson, Missouri, with checkpoints and challenges spread across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri before returning to Buffalo Gap on Saturday.
The Albany trio returns after a successful 2025 Buffalo Run that saw the team raise $80,338 for Camp Able, the third-highest fundraising total among the 28 teams that participated. The event as a whole raised more than $900,000 last year and has generated more than $2 million for Camp Able since its inception in 2021.
While fundraising remains the primary goal, the Buffalo Run is known for its unusual challenges.
This year’s teams will be asked to complete a variety of assignments along the route, including performing a Dolly Parton lip-sync at the Dolly Parton Stampede in Branson, recreating the famous floating door scene from the movie Titanic at the Titanic Museum, brushing a teammate’s teeth in Colgate, Oklahoma, and producing a used-car commercial for their Buffalo Run vehicle at a dealership.
Other stops include the Popeye statue in Alma, Arkansas, the Guardian of the Plains bison statue in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, the World’s Largest Bowie Knife in Bowie, Texas, and the World’s Littlest Skyscraper in Wichita Falls.
The event raises money for Camp Able, a nonprofit therapeutic riding center near Buffalo Gap that serves children and adults with physical, cognitive and emotional challenges.
Supporters can follow the Grease Worms’ progress throughout the weekend on the Buffalo Run Adventure Challenge Facebook page, where the team is expected to post photos and videos from the road as they make their way to Missouri and back.
