We had a tremendous turnout last weekend for the Goblin Gallop, and I would really like to say thanks to everyone that participated. I truly love getting to know my neighbors at Heron Bay – the strong sense of community is one of the things that makes Heron Bay such an extraordinary place to call home – and last weekend I had the opportunity to meet many new faces as it was a record turnout! We had more than 250 participants sporting creative costumes and competitive attitudes. We had race winners for different age groups, and, despite my training efforts, I was not one of the winners. Of course, birds were made to fly, not run, so I feel like a winner for just completing the race without having to use my wings.

The winners of the race were not the only ones to go home with a prize last Saturday. Awards were also given those wearing exceptionally creative costumes, and it was obvious that many people put time and effort into their concoctions this year. Participants that came dressed in their best Halloween costumes all received proper accolades for their innovations.

One lucky raffle winner went home with a plasma television. During the race, this television was showing the UGA/LSU game, and when I mentioned earlier about participants bringing their competitive attitudes, I wasn’t just talking in regards to the race. I had no idea how devoted football fans were to their college teams, but I was sure some fights were going to break out before the evening was through. Luckily, the LSU Tigers were able to keep their cool as the UGA Bulldogs demolished them.

While a big turnout helps to add to the success of the event, what really made this year’s Goblin Gallop a smash hit is the fact that we raised over $25,000 for the Hands of Hope Clinic. With the fun of the race and the task of coming up with an impressive costume that won’t hinder your performance, it’s easy to forget that by participating in the Goblin Gallop, you are helping a tremendous cause in Henry County. The Hands of Hope Clinic is the only free medical and dental clinic, and heavily relies on donations from the public and fundraisers like the Goblin Gallop to stay in business. So to everyone that purchased a raffle ticket and registered to participate, I want to say thank you on behalf of the Hands of Hope Clinic.

Tags: Goblin Gallup, hands of hope clinic, Henry County race walk, Heron Bay

This entry was posted on Friday, October 31st, 2008 at 9:51 am and is filed under Life at Heron Bay. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.