Alberton hosts annual All-School Fun Run

Monte Turner, Clark Fork Valley Press & Mineral Independent, Plains, Mont.
·2 min read

May 22—After five years of organizing the All-School Fun Run, Amy Park of the Mineral County Health Department, carries clipboards, radios and safety vests to the volunteer sign in a large meadow where the inflatable finish line is being pumped up.

"About 300 kids are on their way right now, and what a perfect day to have this," as she looks at partly cloudy skies and 64 degrees at 9:40 a.m. on Thursday, May 16.

The three county schools rotate hosting the event which Park guesses has been going on for 15 or 16 years, and this year, Alberton had a new course to run.

"One of the reasons we wanted to try something different, is because of the roads. We're concerned about all of the crossings (in Alberton) and we thought it would be super fun, so we're trying it, as it's more like a trail run," she says with a big smile.

Over the years, the Alberton football field has been to the start, finish and lunch area after the race but this year staff and runners made themselves comfortable on the ground next to the parking lot that held school busses and vehicles of the volunteers and parents who came to watch and even run with their child.

"This is where it really gets fun," laughs Jennifer Donavan, Director of the Mineral County Health Department, as she greets a yellow school bus full of kids. "All of the stress is gone and now it's time to enjoy the kids and the day."

Park said that whatever fire district they Fun Run is held in, they rely heavily on the fire department and the Frenchtown FD had a team of car-parkers and directional attendants.

"But the Superior Volunteer Fire Department is also here staffing the second half of the course," as she points down the Doug fir tree lined road.

"We've got lots of people who just pop out of the woodwork and ask to help as this takes quite a bit of time to organize and then have adults on the course supervising."

Fifth and sixth grade students ran the 5K and the younger students ran a 1-mile section, unless they wanted to run the longer course with the older kids. The run started at 10, lunch at noon and boarding of the buses just before noon.

Barb Jasper, RN with the Mineral County Health Department called it the "best day of the year. Every year!" she beamed jogging to her duty station.