There are a lot of road races in the Mid-South, but there’s something that makes the annual Cooper-Young Festival Friday 4-Miler, scheduled this year for September 13, the day before the Cooper-Young Festival, better than the rest — the residents of Cooper-Young. Every year, 2,500 runners come out to enjoy our fun, hip, historic community for the four-mile race through the neighborhood, and every year they are met by the denizens of Cooper-Young, who come out in colorful, raucous, convivial Light the Way parties along the race route to cheer the runners on. Runners repeatedly say the Light the Way parties make our race come alive.
It’s not too late to get in on the fun. Register a party by emailing info@cooperyoung.org with your name, address, email and phone number. Registered parties will receive one free race entry to give them someone special to cheer on. Plus, registrants will be entered in annual Light the Way competition for best party, with prizes awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. The theme this year is, appropriately enough, “Friday the 13th.” — Sheree Stubblefield
