Warm up for 5th Turkey Trot

This year marks the fifth annual Turkey Trot 5k/10k run on Thanksgiving morning at 9 a.m.

The Turkey Trot begins in the Fairgrounds parking lot. The course is marked and there is a water station at the turn-around.

Kids in strollers and dogs on leashes are welcome to come join in the fun of earning a second helping before 10 a.m.

It’s a free run, with no registration, no pesky pin-on numbers — just bring a non-perishable donation for the local Food Bank.

The run started as a fun thing to do on Thanksgiving morning for Robert Hanover and Carolyn Testa and grew from there after they decided to invite other runners and make it a way of giving thanks by donating to the Food Bank.

Since it began in 2009 with about 45 runners, the turnout has increased to more than 100 as of last year, with exactly 101 runners counted. The couple has made it a tradition to purchase frozen turkeys and give them away through drawings at the start line, plus pumpkin pie slices and hot chocolate at the start-and-finish line.

Jim Cadnum, “The Corn Man,” has donated decorative Indian corn each year since the beginning as additional prizes that runners can bring home and decorate their tables and homes.

Last year, there were additional prizes for shout-out trivia winners and that tradition will continue.

“Last year’s run resulted in four 50-gallon barrels of food for the Food Bank,” said Testa.

“I think we had one barrel the first year and thought that was pretty cool, so we’re very happy with the ability to deliver so many barrels. Another really nice aspect of this event is that many singles, couples, and families have made this their Thanksgiving morning tradition, and we love seeing so many of the same faces out there year after year.”