MONTAGUE — Energetic children will be able to jump, slide, roll, run and twist their way through an obstacle course to benefit the rebuilding of a local playground on Saturday.
The Montague Parks and Recreation Department and Friends of Hillcrest Elementary School will host the first Montague Warrior Dash in the Hillcrest and Sheffield fields beginning at 2 p.m.
Youths ages 5 to 12 are welcome to participate in separate age categories. Boy and girl winners will be crowned in each category, and the course may vary among different age groups.
The fee for Montague residents is $10, while nonresidents pay $15. The proceeds will benefit the Hillcrest Playground Project Fund and the Montague Parks and Recreation Scholarship Program.
Julie Nolet, part of the playground committee and parent of a preschooler at Hillcrest, knew the Hillcrest playground needed work. Last year, she and another parent decided they needed to create an event to help pay for a new playground. With help from Parks and Recreation Director Jonathan Dobosz, the idea for an obstacle course was born.
“The whole idea originated from Jon,” she said. “He is the mastermind.”
The Warrior Dash has been a couple of years in the making and stemmed from Hillcrest having an “extremely antiquated” playground, Dobosz said. Montague has access to grant opportunities through “Playful Cities USA.” Overall, Dobosz and Nolet hope for this event to raise enough money for a new playground.
The Playful Cities grant require a financial match, so the event will also be a fundraiser to meet those financial goals.
Not only is the Montague Warrior Dash a fundraiser for the playground, but it will benefit the Parks and Recreation scholarship program. The scholarship program provides financial assistance to Montague children from low-income households.
Nolet said the course is based off of professional obstacle courses and many of the materials have been donated by local businesses, including Snow and Sons Landscaping of Greenfield.
Obstacles include a dirt mound, a hay bale climb, agility ladders, potato sacks, cones, raised hula hoops, stepping platforms, a tarp crawl and more. It will also include a long distance run. Nolet says she hopes to do some sort of mud pit as well.
“There may or may not be a water slide,” she added.
She’s not sure yet how big the course will be, but it will take place in the field between Hillcrest and Sheffield Elementary schools.
“More than anything, we just want the kids to have a good time,” she said.
Nolet is excited to replace the equipment on the playground not just because it benefits students at the school, but it will benefit the other children in the area who come to play on it.
“It’s the community that’s benefiting, not just the students,” she said.
She also commended all of the local residents who have rallied around making the Warrior Dash happen.
“It’s been so refreshing working on this project because we’ve received donations from the community and so many people are volunteering their time,” she said. “I’m so touched to see how much people give of themselves.”
Other local businesses who have donated time or materials include Judd Wire, Lively Builders and Letourneau Plumbing.
“It would be great to see a high level of popularity with this event where it can become a yearly tradition,” Dobosz said.
Reach Christie Wisniewski at:
cwisniewski@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 280