Almost 100 runners and walkers took part in the second annual Hemry Foundation and G.O. Fun Run and Walk. The one-mile run featured many participants of all ages including small athletes in strollers being pushed by grandparents. The 5K run was for more serious runners but all had a ton of fun.
The Hemry Foundation works to raise money for people in the Bitterroot and Western Montana who are experiencing “financial hardship caused by unforeseen illness, complications of a previous illness or loss in a family or natural disaster.” The foundation is named after Kaelen Hemry two years ago. In the past two years, foundation president Cory Horsens said almost $35,000 had been raised. This year’s beneficiary, Tom Peterson, is the softball coach at Ronan and had coached at St. Ignatius. He was raised in Lolo. He is currently battling stage four colon cancer.
After the run Saturday morning, participants had the opportunity to visit with several vendors around the Florence Park. The Florence Safe Routes to School Effort had several bicycles that had been rebuilt after being salvaged from the landfill. These bicycles were built this past year and are available for sale. Seventy-five percent of the cost of the bikes went back to the owner but the other 25 percent helps fund the Florence Civic Club Trails. A map and CDs were also available for those wanting to have the safest route to school.
The Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department had a display of trout found in this area. There were mountings of Brook, Cutthroat, Rainbow and Bull Trout for would-be anglers to identify. They also had the paws from grizzly bears as well as black bear to help hikers learn how to identify tracks. Since all of the fishing accesses are currently closed because of high water, a casting area was set up so anglers could practice.