BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – Central Elementary School will be hosting its eighth annual Rockin’Ham 5K, on Saturday, April 5. 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-2025, or paper registrations may be downloaded from the CES website, ces.wnesu.org, or picked up at Central School. Same-day registration will begin on April 5, at 9 a.m., and the race start time is 10:30 a.m. The race logo was designed by CES second grade teacher Meredith Harvey, 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., on a pair of running shoes.
“We are so excited to be hosting our eighth 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 to date include Diamond Donors Adams Trucking & Excavating, Chroma Technology, C&S Wholesale Grocers, and Westminster Fit Body Boot Camp; Platinum Donors 802 Credit Union, Allen Bros. Farm Stand, Best Septic, Golden Cross Ambulance, Greater Rock Fitness, Green Mountain Traffic Control, J&H Hardware, JP Trucking & Excavating, Savings Bank of Walpole, Sonnax, and UNFI; Gold Donors Applied Bolting, Barrett & Valley Associates, Canam, Lisai’s Market, and Edward Jones; Silver Donors Bellows Falls Elks BPOE #1619, Burtco Inc., China Garden, Fall Mountain Pharmacy, Fenton & Hennessey Funeral Home, Greater Falls Insurance, LenTex, Marquise & Morano, MJS Lawn Care & Landscape, Pete’s Stand, Silver Forest of Vermont, Whitney Blake, The Vermont Country Store, and Village Square Booksellers; and Bronze Donors Boccaccio’s & Cason’s Corner, Busy Bees, Cota & Cota, D&R Auto Repair, Dari Joy, Diamond Pizza, Harold & Patty Bushway, HB Energy Solutions, The Hungry Diner, John T’s Appliance Repair, The Killarney Irish Pub, Lawrence & Lober Electric, Morning Star Perennials, Mrs. McCants’ 2024-2025 Kindergarten Family and Friends, Pickering Educational Services, Salmon & Nostrand, and The Rock and Hammer.
Special recognition goes to the Bellows Falls Police and Fire departments, the Bellows Falls Rotary Club, Gail Hynes Photography LLC, and Golden Cross Ambulance, who have volunteered their services on the day of the parade for safety, race timing, and photography. Spot On Screen Printing will be printing the race T-shirts.
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 Elementary School in Bellows Falls, Vt., and are used for programs, equipment, field trips, and residencies for Central School students.