They Run This Town
The Holly Springs running community, anchored by the Holly Springs Run Club, is everything that is great about Holly Springs. Welcoming, supportive, encouraging, charitable, and, for some reason, really dedicated to running even when it’s too cold, too wet, or too early.
This HS150 theme is not about running.
Rather, it’s about the people and the events that make up one of the largest formal-but-informal groups in the town. This community, anchored by the Holly Springs Run Club, is everything that is great about Holly Springs. Welcoming, supportive, encouraging, charitable, and, for some reason, really dedicated to running even when it’s too cold, too wet, or too early.
I struggled a little with what to feature. Do I share group runs? Highlight organizers? Maybe the local running store? (I hope that will be a future post). Organized races? Community 5Ks? There’s such an active community I didn’t really know where to start. So I decided to keep it simple and focus on two of the premiere running events in Holly Springs - the Holly Springs Half Marathon and the Race Against The Sun (RATS). These events are, in my opinion, what everything else builds up to. The daily group runs, the walking clubs (ok, they get a nod as well), the 5K’s and Turkey Trots … they are all individually awesome events but, for many, they are the preparation for the main events.
Race Against The Sun (RATS) Endurance Run
The Race Against the Sun Endurance Run is a 12 or 24 hour run held annually (second) at Sugg Farm and Bass Lake. Running from sunrise to sunrise, the run challenges people against themselves in the friendliest gathering of cold, tired, hungry, and sore people I’ve ever seen.
The race might begin at sunrise, but the day begins much earlier. Campsites were setup, support teams gathered, safety briefings were held. The morning was filled with activity as runners caught up with old friends, met new ones, and expended some nervous energy warming up in the cold.
Our Daily Tread
Pretty much any morning and evening, every day of the week, you will be able to find a coordinated group run or walk. Starting at local breweries, bottle shops, the Pace Yourself Run Company, and some in random parking lots before the sun rises, there is a group that matches any level of fitness and experience.
The Wednesday Walk Club leaves out of Local Time Brewery every week
Holly Springs Half Marathon
“Our goal is to help promote the health and wellness of Holly Springs by supporting the Holly Springs Parks & Recreation department, our local service organizations, providing racing chairs to disabled athletes, and supporting our local high school track & field athletes”
The Holly Springs Half Marathon has raised more than $166,000 which has been brought back to the Holly Springs community.
If I had to pick only a single word to describe the HSHM runners it would be “joyful”. Seriously - I can’t believe how excited and happy people were at mile 5 on the course.
I’m not sure if they were as happy at mile 10 but I’m here to focus on the positive!
The celebration of our running community, just like the Holly Springs Half, will end with the sweepers.
Little Free Libraries In Our Community
The town of Holly Springs has more than 30 Little Free Libraries. Each library serves as a unique expression of how the residents of Holly Springs care for their neighbors and their community.
As a child I was an avid reader. I would save my money for Scholastic book orders. I could have lived off pizza from the Book It! program. And at any given moment I probably owed the public library a fine for an overdue book.
So when I first hear about the Little Free Library program, I was immediately enamored with not only the concept of the little birdhouse-like structures being installed throughout the town, but I loved how it made me feel when I saw one. To me they are a symbol of how a small action - leaving or taking a book - can positively impact the entire community.
If you aren’t yet familiar, the Little Free Library project is an international program that promotes reading through their “take a book, share a book” approach. Throughout Holly Springs we have more than 30 of these libraries installed at parks, schools, and neighborhoods.
The community effort of providing neighborhood-level access to books promotes literacy, builds community, and fosters the joy of reading at every age.
The following images are of libraries that are installed throughout Holly Springs.
If you believe I have missed a library, please let me know and I will add it ASAP!
A sincere thanks to the following community members who helped me identify the location of as many of these as possible. This could not have been completed without them!
Donna Silver Martinez, Ann Carter Hamilton, Rebecca Graves, Cynthia Helms, Pat Hoffman, Lindsay Steidl Beadon, Therese Lindberg, Nikki Doering, Cariann Colman, Carol Parker, Soraya DaCosta, KVan Garmon, Vivian Calvert, Sarah Shay, Annie Drees, Tina Schneider, Melissa Wooten McGahey, Mark Mazanek, Nicole Marie, Laura Schmitt Stehle, Hank Dickson, Betsey Anderson, Karen Winston, Anne Beavers, Genna Musslewhite, Martha Waltz Wewer, Alexandra Fuentes, Alison Bendersky Piermont, Bethany Keyes, Terri O'Laughlin, Stacy Lundblad, Kevin Gauger, Katie Hoggard, Donna Greene Mullen, Anwesha M Pautsch, Denise Collins, Angela Keller Trogdon, Ashly Amador, Sarah Crissman, Laurean Leigh, Paige Wright, Debbie Jackson Kahn, Rachel Hedgpeth, Rebecca Tomas, Melissa Danielle Prescott, Douglas LeRoy, Lavina Romero, Noél Bretón, XTine Parrish, Kandi Nash
Happy Holly Days Parade
The Happy Holly Days Parade is the annual holiday parade featuring local organizations, schools, businesses, and prominent residents of Holly Springs.
The Holly Springs police motorcycle officers led the way. The Fuquay Varina American Legion follows close behind.
Every December, the Town of Holly Springs holds the Happy Holly Days Parade where our local residents, organizations, businesses, and schools are able to showcase their members and talents.
People begin settings up the night before to make sure they have the best view as their friends and neighbors make their way down Main Street from Ting Park on their way towards Womble Park.
