By Amanda Ensinger
Staff Writer
The Prairie Township Community Center is moving forward with a new community event aimed at integrating exercise with family entertainment.
The Dash N’ Dine 5K and Community Dinner will take place at 6 p.m. on Sept. 22 at North Murray Hill Road.
“The idea is that people will participate and then enjoy a community dinner together after,” said James Gant, director the community center. “Family and friends that come can get in on the fun by watching the dash and then enjoying the community activities after.”
In early spring, Gant first presented the idea for this event to the township trustees, asking the board to approve closing part of North Murray Hill Road to Medfield Way for the event. Currently, the township plans to have this closure take place from 3-11 p.m. on the day of the event.
According to Gant, the 5K will start at North Murray Hill and travel through Lincoln Village North. The race will end where it began and the community dinner will then take place.
The community dinner will consist of a variety of food trucks based out of central Ohio.
“We hope to have more so we can give attendees a variety of options,” Gant said. “We also will have giant tents setup so people can sit together and eat.”
Originally organizers had considered having one large table for everyone to eat at, but instead opted for small tables throughout the event.
The cost to participate in the 5K is $50 per person if you register by July 23, registration from July 23 through Sept. 17 is $60 and registration from Sept. 18-21 is $70. There will be no day of registration.
With registration, 5K participants will receive a t-shirt, a finisher’s medal and a token for food at a food truck. Guests who don’t participate in the 5K can just pay the food truck vendors they dine at.
The community center also is working on securing live music for the event, as well as games and family activities.
“We are still in the initial stages of planning so a lot of those details are in the works,” Gant said. “However, we are excited about hosting this unique event. We love the idea of racers dinning together with their family and friends.”
Gant also said that all the proceeds from the event will go toward a scholarship fund the community center is starting to help people who cannot afford to participate in community center activities.
“The fund will support the enrollment fees for our summer day camp, swim lessons and other programming,” he said. “We have families who need assistance and would like to participate in these programs, but they can’t afford it. We thought this scholarship would be a wonderful way to cover their costs.”
For more information on the Dash N’ Dine 5K and Community Dinner, visit www.prairietownship.org/131/Community-Center.
