Hi There! It’s me. Scoop the Cup Reporter from The Shady Pines Gazette newspaper.

Don’t get your feathers all in a twitter, but Early Bird registration is now open for the Annual Shady Pines Story Town Turkey Trot! Remember all the stuff that happened last year? No tellin’ what’ll happen this time. Oh, yea, I need to tell you what time we get underway. It’s going to be held at 8:30 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning.  This continues to be one of our biggest events. Why, we had hundreds of folks take part last year. Visitors and runners just show up from cities and towns all over the state.

The race courses are set up for 2 and 5 miles through the streets of downtown, the neighborhoods, and beyond. Leisurely walkers and competitive runners are all encouraged to join in. Wail until you see the costumes some of these people wear. They really go all out!

The run/walk gets underway near the gazebo in Stonewall Park. That’s where you can register. Tickets are being sold for $5 for children and $15 for adults. There’s also a dog walk, so you can bring your family pet, too.

The folks organizing the Thanksgiving event say the Turkey Trot is a great way to get some exercise in before the big meal and to support a good cause. You can bet Mayor Beauregard Fibbs will be right there at the finish line to give the winners their trophies. He likes getting his picture in the news.

This year, the money we raise will help support our local Healthier Kids Foundation. We’ll also collect donations for care packages to send to our family members serving in the military a long way away. Our own Ray Robinson is helping to organize this part. He may be only 7 years old, but Ray believes in honoring his military dad, and all the other family members who have to be separated from their loved ones during the holidays. He says it’s his way of giving thanks.

And, we’ll thank all of you to pull on your sneakers, get your friends together and be there. When it comes to the Turkey Trot you never know what bird brained thing might happen! Speaking of that, I’m just getting word that Farmer Fred Farnsworth is bringing his award-winning, gigantic, turkey to the party this year. That turkey has some given name, but most of us refer to the big ‘ole creature as “Tiny.” Yep. Tiny the Turkey. Well, I better look into this. Sounds like it could turn into Turkey Trot trouble. You can find out more for yourself. Just go HERE to read more.

And remember, when there’s breaking news, I’ll be there to cover it all!

-Scoop, the Cub Reporter, The Shady Pines Gazette