Kevin Tomkins, 16, rocks through the first elimination round of the Guitar Hero competition held Friday night at Liberty Hall. The event, sponsored by the United Way and the Boys and Girls Club, raised about 50 for the United Way, according to event organizers.

It was a chance to become a rock star — at least among Lawrence junior high school students.

“Me and my friends decided to see who was better in the group, so we’re just here to have fun and hang out,” Alfonso Reeves said Friday evening at Liberty Hall in-between turns in a tournament for the video game “Guitar Hero.”

But the night wasn’t all about seventh-, eighth- and ninth-graders moving their fingers as fast as they could on a plastic guitar trying to simulate Motley Crüe’s “Shout at the Devil” and other rock tunes.

“We’re excited about having this event where kids can come and have fun,” said Colleen Gregoire, campaign manager for the United Way of Douglas County.

“But at the same time, they know that by getting together and doing a fun thing like this, they can also be helping the United Way, which helps a lot of people in our community in need.”

The United Way, the Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence, GaDuGi Safe Center and other volunteers teamed together to provide a fun and safe environment for the students on a Friday night.

Sponsors covered the cost of putting on the event, so the entry fee from contestants could be directly donated to the United Way’s 2008 campaign.

As the games, food and goodwill spread throughout Liberty Hall, many of the contestants still had a prize on their minds.

“Have a lot of fun and hopefully win,” Trey Beasley said.

— 6News reporter Mark Boyle contributed to this report.