Huntingburg plans 250th celebration fun run, aims for 250 participants

Huntingburg is turning its downtown 5K into a local salute to America’s 250th anniversary, and city leaders want 250 people on Fourth Street for the celebration. The June 5-5-5 250th 5K Fun Run/Walk and Community Celebration is set for Friday, June 12, with registration at 4:30 p.m. at Huntingburg City Hall, 508 E. 4th Street, before the event begins at 5 p.m. The city is hoping families, schools, civic groups and longtime residents will take part, with red, white and blue encouraged for the evening.

The gathering will center on 4th Street, which the city is using as part of the event space to make the downtown corridor a place for movement, music and socializing. Huntingburg has also approved a special event application for a 5-5-5 Block Party for the 250th Celebration on Fourth Street from Jackson Street to Highway 231, underscoring how the city plans to use the downtown core as the backdrop for its semiquincentennial observance. The target is symbolic but specific: 250 participants for the 250th anniversary theme.

The 5-5-5 program itself has become a familiar Huntingburg tradition since Mayor Denny Spinner created it. In a normal year, the series runs on the second Friday of the month from April through August at 5 p.m., is untimed and is meant as a social opportunity that still incorporates physical activity. Participants meet at Huntingburg City Hall, and the city provides water and healthy snacks at the end of each 5K. Those who complete all five events receive a free T-shirt. Corporate partners for the series include OFS Brands, Farbest Foods, Hometown IGA and the Tri-County YMCA.

Mayor Elkins said the 5-5-5 events give community members a chance to get connected, meet people they might not otherwise speak to and be part of something bigger. He also urged participants to support local Huntingburg merchants throughout the evening, pointing to the kind of spillover downtown events can bring to shops and restaurants.

The June 12 run fits into a broader Dubois County America 250 effort that has already brought local organizers together at Current Blend, 307 E. 4th Street. County planning has included quilting, Liberty Trees, fireworks and drone events, church bell ringing, reenactments, a public reading of the Declaration of Independence and community meals. The Dubois County Historical Society has been named the County Connect Leader by the Indiana State Semiquincentennial Commission, giving the county a formal role in Indiana’s lead-up to the nation’s 250th birthday.