BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – Central Elementary School will be hosting its seventh annual Rockin’Ham 5K on Saturday, April 6. The 5K will begin and end at Central School, 50 School Street Extension, Bellows Falls. Runners may register online at www.active.com/bellows-falls-vt/running/distance-running/rockin-ham-5k-2024, or paper registrations may be downloaded from the CES website, ces.wnesu.org, or picked up at Central School. Same-day registration will begin at on April 1, at 9 a.m., and the race start time is 10:30 a.m. The race logo was designed by local artist Erin Shaw of Spot On Screen Printing, and features a guitar-playing pig (the “rocking ham”) and a chicken (from the Thunder Chickens running club at North Walpole School in North Walpole, N.H).
“We are so excited to be hosting our seventh annual Rockin’Ham 5K,” race co-coordinator Kerry Pickering said. “This event brings out the best in our community. So many local businesses show their support for our students and our school by sponsoring the race, or by providing an item for our raffle. We would love to include every business in town, so please reach out to the school if you haven’t yet joined us. This is a super fun, family-friendly event, and if you haven’t come to a previous Rockin’Ham 5K, this is the year to do it.”
The raffle drawing will also be held on the same date, with dozens of prizes to be given away. Raffle tickets may be purchased from any Central School student, or by contacting the school at 802-463-4346.
Local sponsors for the race include Platinum Donors: J&H Hardware, 802 Credit Union, JP Trucking, Sonnax, Adams Trucking & Excavating, C&S Wholesale Grocers, UNFI, Greater Rock Fitness, Green Mountain Traffic Control, Savings Bank of Walpole, Best Septic, Golden Cross Ambulance, Westminster Fit Body Boot Camp, and Allen Brothers Farm Stand.
Gold Donors: Applied Bolting, The Killarney Irish Pub, Lisai’s Market, Whitney Blake, and Edward Jones.
Silver Donors: Marquise & Morano, MJS Lawn Care & Landscaping, Burtco Inc., Fenton and Hennessey Funeral Home, The Grafton Inn, Lex-Tex, Silver Forest of Vermont, and Elks BPOE #1619.
Bronze Donors: Bellows Falls Country Club, China Garden, Cota & Cota, D&R and Sons Auto Repair, Dari Joy, Dellamano Glassware, Diamond Pizza, HB Energy Solutions, Hungry Diner, John T’s Appliance Repair, Justin Beebe Memorial Foundation, Lawrence & Lober Electricians, Morning Star Perennials, Pickering Educational Services, Rockingham Recreation Center, Rock and Hammer, Salmon & Nostrand Law Office, Spot-On Screen Printing, The Threaded Trunk, Walpole Town Pool, Jeanne Cloues and Marcie Weil, Harold and Patty Bushway, Dan and Judy Durand, and Paul and Terry Obuchowski.
Special recognition is given to the Bellows Falls Police and Fire Departments, the Bellows Falls Rotary Club, and Gail Hynes Photography LLC, who have volunteered their services on the day of the parade for safety, race timing, and photography.
The school is still seeking sponsors, and raffle prize donations continue to be accepted as well. If you wish to provide a monetary sponsorship or donate a raffle prize, please contact Central School at 802-463-4346. All proceeds from the race benefit the Central School in Bellows Falls, Vt., and are used for programs, equipment, field trips, and residencies for Central School students.