Photos from the Santa Walk and Run can be seen here!
Christmas got an early start this year. On Saturday morning hundreds of Santas and people donned in green and red ran through Crown Point's historic downtown for the annual Santa Walk & Run. The race, which takes place only five days before Christmas, hosts runner and leisurely walkers for a holiday celebration while also raising money for various charities.
The Santa Run tradition started back in 1982 when Hometown Happenings President Tim Fealy and his friends decided to take a regular run through downtown Crown Point, but decided to wear Santa Claus costumes while doing so. The responses they got from people driving through the area were so immense that they started to make the costumed run a tradition. A few decades passed until Fealy decided to host the run for the public, which had a reasonable turnout of around one hundred holiday themed runners the first year. A few years have passed since the first Santa Run, and on Saturday over 400 people showed up at Saint Mary's Catholic School to participate in non-timed the event.
The Santa Walk & Run was a jam-packed event from beginning to end. Even the race had a few stops to keep the participants happy. When the runners and walkers made their way down the course they were greeted by people delightedly honking their horns, music and caroling along the street, and gifts of candy canes that were handed out by RE/MAX Pace Reality. Roger Pace and Donna Pace handed out hundreds of candy canes to the participants, and they couldn't of been more glad to be a part of the event.
"We're really caught up in the spirit. It's Christmas," Roger Pace exclaimed, "All of these people are out here making the effort to dress up and run out here in the cold, so we really wanted to be there to cheer them on and amplify the festivities."
The event as a whole, which measures itself past just the run and walk, provided attendees with much more than a trip around Crown Point . A Memories om Minutes photo booth, a dozen food and item vendors, a DJ, a visit with Santa and Scrooge, hockey lessons from Crown Point's Bulldog Hockey Club, music by Sarah Archer and John Fister were all present in St. Mary's cafeteria. The entire morning was a flurry of families and friends eating, drinking, and amplifying the holiday feeling.
The heart of the Santa Walk & Run was not just holiday spirit, but the spirit of giving back. The event called out for a groups to raise $100 for their charity of choice so that they could participate as a team of Santa and Santa's reindeer. S & E Woodworking, located in Hammond, provided runners with a custom built sleigh that the team could decorate and run with.
Kelly Welsh, a teacher at Colonel Wheeler Middle School, walked with 15 people - that comprised of her students and their parents. When Welsh heard the word of the opportunity to raise money for charity she took up the chance right away.
"We've been looking for a while to find an avenue where we could raise money for a charity of our choice, so when we heard about this race we immediately got started and raised $125 dollars for the Northwest Indiana Cancer Kids Foundation." Welsh stated. "I thought that this would be a really fun way to help out kids in need. We really hope to raise a ton of more money next year, because helping out the NICK Foundation was really important to me and the kids."
Becky Lee, who ran with her sleigh full of two snowmen, a Santa and two elves, raised over $200 towards the Lake County Animal Shelter in just a week. Lee had the same sentiment as anyone else who joined together in a sleigh - that raising money for a charity is essential during the holiday season.
"We're really here to give back to the community, but we're also here to have fun. We want the animals to have a good Christmas as well," Lee explained. "This is more of what Christmas is about - to give back to others and not be always 'Me, me, me.' As long as we're healthy enough why not have some fun while making sure others will be able to have fun as well."
The charity at the Santa Walk & Run didn't just stop with the sleighs. Once the reindeer, Santas, and elves made their way back home, Tim Fealy had one more stop on his list. Armed with gift cards, Mr. Claus, a gingerbread man, and an ice princess, he made his way down the street to the St. Jude House of Crown Point. Many people who had come to the race also brought in gift cards to Walgreens and Strack & Van Til so that the kids and their families at the home could get the much needed supplies they need for the holidays.
"It's very powerful to give back. It's powerful to see that anybody can come out and raise money for the organization of their choice and that those charities get the funds they need." Fealy explained. "Getting involved with giving back really encourages others to do the same. What really touches me the most is that this has become a tradition for families here, and by having them come out they contribute to the well being of others without really realizing it. This has really pulled the Crown Point community together."