Firescraker 5k set for July 3 in downtown Guin

GUIN — The City of Guin and Santa’s Workshop will host the 12th annual Firecracker 5k on Thursday night, July 3.
The annual one-mile fun run and 5k event will raise money for Santa’s Workshop, a charity that provides Christmas gifts to underprivileged children in the area each year.
Forms are available at McGuire Drugs in Guin, as well as online at active.com. Registration costs $25 for the 5k and $15 for the fun run, with discounts available to youth and school track and cross country athletes.
The fun run will begin at 10 p.m., followed by the 5k at 10:30. Same day registration will be available on site.
Each registration will include a t-shirt like in year’s past.
Event organizer Bobby Bellew said this year’s fun run and 5k will follow the same route as last year.
The fun run will begin at city hall and run down the back road toward the Dollar General shopping center, before looping back to city hall. The 5k starts on the same route, but after the shopping center, runners loop back toward the red light then up to Grace Church, where they will turn around and go back toward city hall.
“It’s only really got two turns in it, so it can be a fast course with one hill in the middle of it,” Bellew said. “It has shown to be a really competitive and fast course in recent years.”
Bellew said he had the idea for the 5k several years ago as a more consistent method of raising money for Santa’s Workshop.
“My wife and some friends have been on that board of directors for a number of years, and we were just sitting around at a Mexican restaurant one evening talking about how to get more consistency around our fundraising and this idea came up,” he said. “We started it in 2014, and it’s been a huge success for us. I think the first year we raised a little over $8,000 for Santa’s Workshop, and then the last couple of years have been in the $30,000 range.
“The budget for Santa’s Workshop is in the $25,000 range each year. We distribute Christmas gifts for 150-180 underprivileged kids in this area each year. A lot of kids have been helped over this time.”
Bellew said the 5k’s success is due in large part to dedicated donors and sponsors.
“I certainly want to thank our donors and sponsors,” he said. “We have the best community and the best region. We don’t just get donors from Guin. We get donors from Winfield, Hamilton and even different parts of the state. We’ve got some out of Tuscaloosa and Winston County, so we do have a regional reach for our donors, and we certainly appreciate them.
“Our top three donors this year are Guin-Parish, Encore Rehab and then Listerhill Credit Union. We also certainly want to thank our police and fire departments for their support. They always protect us and keep us safe during the race.
“We’ve had some really, really great sponsors, around 100-120 different sponsors over the last 12 years that we’ve done this, so we are grateful for all those who support us and allow us to purchase those gifts for underprivileged children.”
Bellew said anyone is welcome and encouraged to participate.
“It's one of those deals where we want to encourage walkers, runners and anybody who wants to participate to come and be a part of it,” he said. “It’s a family event. We’ll have a DJ on site. We make it a really fun atmosphere for the couple of hours that we’re together.”