The Second Annual 5K Roadtown Turkey Trot takes place on Saturday, Nov. 23 in Shutesbury. The family-friendly event starts at Shutesbury Elementary School (23 West Pelham Road). The timed 5K run/walk, which winds through the scenic roads of rural Shutesbury, starts at 9 a.m. At 9:30 a.m. a shorter Kids’ Fun Run will take place on the track behind the school.

Participants can register for the Roadtown Turkey Trot at Roadtown.org. Registration is $35 through Nov. 22 and $40 on day of the race. Entry for Children’s Fun Run is $15.

In addition to prizes for race division winners, there will be a drawing for Thanksgiving-themed prizes. Everyone entered for the 5K race is also entered in the raffle. For Thanksgiving table, prizes include a Diemand Farm turkey, cranberry sauce from locally-harvested cranberries and homemade ready-to-bake pies for your Thanksgiving table. Over 30 raffle prizes have been donated by generous local businesses.

The race is the brainchild of Samantha Spisiak, avid runner and Shutesbury resident. Spisiak, her husband, Andy, and their three young children will all join in the run.

“My husband and I both love to run and have a long tradition of participating in Turkey Trots,” Spisiak said. “When we moved to Shutesbury we missed this part of our Thanksgiving celebration. We decided to start new a tradition in our community while supporting our library at the same time.”

“We are immensely proud of what our small town has achieved so far,” added Mary Anne Antonellis, Shutesbury Library Director. “The Roadtown Turkey Trot is not only an opportunity to bring us closer to our goal but also to create a fun and festive event that hopefully will become an annual tradition in Shutesbury.”

The “Roadtown Turkey Trot” coined its name because Shutesbury was originally called Roadtown. In 1735, settlers received a land grant as payment for building the ‘great road’ from Lancaster to Sunderland. The land grant was named Roadtown, and was later incorporated in 1761 as the Town of Shutesbury. 

For information about the fundraising campaign for the new library, please contact Mary Anne Antonellis, Shutesbury Librarian, at library@shutesbury.org. For questions about sponsorship opportunities, volunteer inquiries or additional about the event, contact Sam Spisiak at roadtowntt@gmail.com.

Northampton Parks & Rec

The Northampton Parks & Recreation Department (NPRD) is collaborating with Northampton Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police to bring the Unity Basketball League to Northampton. Join NPRD for two fun Unity Basketball Community Days in November. Both events will be held at JFK Middle School (100 Bridge Road, Florence). To enter the gym, park in the back of the building and enter the building across from the tennis courts.

This Thursday,(Nov. 7) from 5 to 8 p.m. is designed for seventh and eighth grade boys and girls. The evening will feature contests, music, pick up games and pizza. Thursday, Nov. 14 from 5 to 8 p.m. is designed for families and participants in Kindergarten through eighth grade. Again, it will feature a variety of basketball contests with prizes, pick up games, music, pizza and special guests from the UMass Sport Management Department.

These fun events are completely free with the goal of encouraging communication between young people and police officers in a fun, competitive setting. Pre-registration is highly encouraged to attend and can be completed online at www.northamptonma.gov/recreation.

For questions, visit www.northamptonma.gov/recreation, or call Northampton Police Detective Lauren Bolduc at 413-587-1136 or Northampton Parks & Recreation at 587-1040.