Here’s what you need to know about the Hunter Vision Watermelon 5k run this coming July 4th.

The 5k run starts at 7am, and the kids run starts at 8:15am. Come to Park Avenue in Winter Park, 251 Park Avenue South Winter Park, FL 32789.

Runners, walkers and fitness enthusiasts of all ages can have summertime fun by participating in the Hunter Vision Watermelon 5k, Friday, July 4 on Park Avenue in Downtown Winter Park. The 3.1-mile run/walk begins at 7:00 a.m. It’s an All-American-style celebration featuring a shady course, entertainment, free kids’ run and the crowd favorite, the Watermelon Eating Contest.  Participants can show support for local military personnel in three ways:

1) Discount entry to active and retired military personnel and their families.

2) Food Drive. Contribute a non-perishable food items for distribution through the Orlando VA

Medical Center’s Veterans in Need Program.

3) Team Challenge competition.  Runners and walkers form teams of any kind: corporate, running club, ROTC, church group, etc. All teams receive recognition and the largest team will have a $500 donation made on their behalf to a local 501© (3) organization that supports military service. All 5k registrants who are active or retired military service personnel and/or military family members will receive special recognition by a unique bib number and will be entered into a prize drawing to win a Military Appreciation Staycation!  Staycation elements include a two night stay at Rosen Centre and a $75 Darden restaurant gift card. The randomly chosen winner will be announced after the race.

Track Shack created this event in hopes of celebrating a wholesome community in order to raise funds for the Track Shack Foundation which supports local active and retired military personnel and their families. The Track Shack Foundation is a 501 ©(3) organization whose mission is to promote health and fitness with an emphasis on youth athletics.

In order to run in this race you must be a registered runner. Here’s a break down of the race fees.

Entry Fee:
$25 through June 28……$29…..June 29 – July 3
$15 Age 17 & under and age 65 & over
$15 Active, retired military personnel and military family members through July 3.
$35 Race Day at race day at race site

Register at the Track Shack website or call 407.896.1160 for more information.

SPREE is a pop-up consignment sale benefiting children who are blind or with visual impairments. The funds from the sale will go to Lighthouse Central Florida, the area’s only private, non-profit agency offering a comprehensive range of services to people living with sight impairment in the tri-county area. The funds from the sale will specifically benefit Lighthouse CFL’s Early Intervention Program for children with visual impairments between the ages of 0-5. The sale will feature clothing and accessories for women, men, and children.

So join us the weekend of April 26-29 in raising funds for this worthy cause. Event runs from 9am-6pm each day.

For more information call Dani Mihalic at 407-898-2483 ext. 235.

Join us on Saturday, April 26, 7:30am at the Showalter Field on 2525 Cady Way. In honor of National Arbor Day, the Parks & Recreation Department of the City of Winter Park will proudly host the 22nd annual Jeannette Genius McKean 5K Memorial Run for the Trees.

This exciting 5K (3.1 miles) run/walk will begin at Showalter Field, located at 2525 Cady Way, and finish on beautiful Genius Drive which is open to the public only once a year for this magnificent event. Funds raised from the event will support the Winter Park Tree Replacement Fund. Each “Run for the Trees” race participant will receive a commemorative T-shirt as well as a young tree to plant at a location of their choice.

For specific race details and registration information, please visit www.trackshack.com.

On Tuesday, April 08, at 11:15am in Central Park West Meadow, 150 N. New York Ave, the City of Winter Park and the Multifaith Education Project are proud to announce the 11th annual Trees For Peace Interfaith Tree Planting Project.

City officials will begin the ceremony at 11:30 a.m. and the program will be led by Louise Franklin Sheehy, director of the Multifaith Education Project. More than 100 students and faculty representing the Jewish Academy of Orlando, Geneva Christian School and Leaders Preparatory School will join together to plant trees for peace.

Come to the Casa Feliz Historic Museum, on Saturday, March 15, from 9am-2pm. We hope you will join us for our 3rd Annual Wickets to Fair Trade Croquet Tournament and Benefit! Players will have a fun time playing croquet on the field at the beautiful Casa Feliz and have an opportunity to win great prizes. After the tournament, enjoy mimosas, snacks and a silent auction.

The event cost is $50 per team of two or $40 for a student team. Equipment is provided, although you are welcome to bring your own mallet if you have one.

The funds raised at the 2014 Wickets to Fair Trade event will benefit the Ten Thousand Villages Learning Tours Fund, which allows members of our local community to directly connect with our artisan partners in developing nations and see firsthand how Fair Trade impacts their lives and communities.

Run Around the Pines 5k Presented by Florida Hospital

Hometown favorite race, with a flat, fast course which meanders through a neighborhood adjacent to Winter Park Memorial Hospital. This event benefits the Track Shack Foundation.  5k for runners/walkers with free kids run.

Come out and join the fun on February 15 at the Showalter Fields.

Zimmerman Kiser Sutcliffe Winter Park Road Race 10k and 2 Mile Presented by Florida Hospital

This is the Grand Finale of the Track Shack Running Series. The fitness enthusiasts at Zimmerman, Kiser & Sutcliffe, P.A., invite you to celebrate 37 years of running right where it all began on Park Avenue in beautiful Winter Park.  10k and 2 Mile run/walk available as well as kids run.  Special Distance Dare for participating in both 10k AND 2 mile.  For full details, visit www.trackshack.com

Lastly there will be the Run for the Trees Jeannette Genius McKean Memorial 5k.

Run for the Trees 5k run/walk is a unique point to point event. The last mile is on the tree-canopied, wilderness dirt road of Genius Drive. This privately owned glimpse of old Florida is opened to the public only once a year, for this event. All finishers receive a young tree!

Bring the family out on February 22 to Mead Garden for family fun as we race rubber ducks for charity.

Park gates open at 9:45 am and activities and races conclude at 2pm.  You can purchase your rubber ducks ahead of time at the Winter Park Farmers Market, or at the park the day of the race.

There are two races to enter, 12:15pm or the 1pm race.

Cost is $5 a duck to race, for spectators all the activities are free.

Come out and support a great charity and have fun at the same time! All proceeds go to the Mead Botanical Garden Nature Education Program, which educates the community and revitalizes the natural area through local programs.

For more information call, 407-628-4139, or visit the Mead Garden website.

Presented by the Florida Hospital, this charity run benefits the House of Hope home for troubled youth. Come to the Showalter Fields for 7:30am on February 15 and bring your running shoes and bottles of water.

The cost to enter this race has yet to be determined. For more information call 407-898-1313 or visit the Run Around the Pines website.

The Rotary Club of Winter Park is bringing back their chili cook off. Local restaurants and caterers will compete for the coveted Peoples’ Choice award and have their dishes evaluated by a select panel of judges.  Live entertainment by Papa Jack Express, drinks, dessert and a live auction led by American Fundraising Auctions round out the evening at the Winter Park Farmers’ Market.

Net event proceeds will benefit the Rotary Club of Winter Park Foundation, which provides grants to more than 30 local charities each year.  Over the last 20 years the club has donated more than $685,000 to charities serving the Winter Park community.

So come down to the Winter Park Farmers Market this February 26 and enjoy Winter Park’s best chili.

Join us on December 7 from 7am-10:30 for a delicious pancake breakfast at the Central Park Stage. This holiday tradition allows us to support the Winter Park elementary schools and their teachers through out the year. So bring your wallets and your appetites for some delicious breakfast for a great cause.

If you come down early enough you’ll also have great seats for the start of the “Ye Olde Hometown” Christmas Parade. Order your tickets at the park or online here: http://www.winterpark.org/content/pancake-breakfast

Cost
Adults $6
Children $4
Price includes pancakes, sausage and refreshments.

Photo by tiverylucky