Hyer Elementary kicked off the Thanksgiving festivities early on Nov. 15 with its first annual Family Turkey Trot.
About 350 current, future, and past Hyer Huskies and their families participated in the event, which racers said was a win for the neighborhood.
“It was so fun to see the community come together, and do something hard, and push ourselves and encourage each other,” Hyer mom Katrina Bolin said. “It was great.”
Some Huskies, including Bolin’s sons Walker and Knox, sped through the course. Others walked at a more leisurely pace or took on the competition on foot-powered scooters. The littlest future Huskies traveled the 1-mile route by stroller.
Kindergartner Annie Meindl tackled the course in small combat boots with rainbow laces. Her mom, Lauren, explained that Annie and her siblings had joined the morning fun to support their school and be with their classmates.
“All their friends were doing it, so they wanted to come out and join,” she said. “It’s something new to do.”
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Huskies had plenty of encouragement along the route around their school. Neighbors waved yellow pom-poms as they passed by, and Scots cheerleaders greeted them as they ran through a Hyer Husky arch at the start and finish line.
Every Husky who participated received a Turkey Trot medal, and all could enjoy eating glazed donuts and playing in bounce houses with slides after the race.
Hyer fourth-grader Brooks Louden dashed across the finish line in first place to earn a trophy. He was followed by Walker and Knox Bolin in second and third. Louden called the course tiring, but fun.
“I’ve run a lot of races,” he said. “This one was probably the most exciting.”
Hyer Elementary started its Turkey Trot tradition last year with an event during the school day. Teachers donned inflatable costumes and competed in the Turkey Teacher Dash, while students played classic games with Thanksgiving twists.
This year, the school decided to bring the entire family to the Turkey Trot table. The festive fun was organized by PTA family events chairs Katey Plummer and Patty Georgeadis, while the Dads Club helped with set up on Turkey Trot day, explained Kelly Morgan, who oversaw the festivities as special events officer.
“I’m hoping this is going to be a big, huge tradition,” she said. “Hopefully, as the years go by it will just bring more and more excitement to the neighborhood.”
Several Hyer staff members got a taste of the Turkey Trot action by joining students on the course, including principal Debbie Burt.
“I thought it was outstanding. It was a great way to build community and bring our families together,” she said. “We’ll definitely continue this, and who knows, we might expand it a little bit.”
