By Taylor J. Hale
Staff Writer

STEVENS POINT – Clear skies and warm temperatures welcomed over 200 walkers and runners for the first Forest Family Fun Run, hosted by the Boston School Forest (BSF), on June 21.

The free event allowed guests of all ages to get out, get active, and get in touch with nature.

“The forest family fun run here at Boston School forest is in its first year,” explained BSF Program Leader Karla Lockman. “It was actually an idea that one of our student interns, Chloe Bancker, came up with. She said, ‘I had a dream, there was a fun run event, and families were here and it was a really good time; let’s do it.’ And I said, ‘OK, let’s do it.’”

Bancker’s dream quickly became a reality. Within a week of the idea’s inception, the group created a logo, and the walk started to develop. Lockman realized they would need some help organizing the event, and found aid from the community.

“The Town of Plover Tourism Commission approached me and said, ‘We have a little bit of money here to bring tourism to the town of Plover, is that something the Boston School Forest would be interested in partnering with us on?’”

Lockman was excited to work with the town and several other local sponsors and began to set a foundation for the fun run. The town’s tourism commission donated $2,500 to the program, which was used to produce free shirts for attendees and signage for the walk.
The non-competitive 1.75-mile trek through BSF trails gave the community a chance to get outdoors and socialize.

Lockman sees this fun run as a new addition to the roster of events hosted by the academic organization.
“It gets kids and their parents outside, spending quality time together,” she said.

To learn more about the Boston School Forest visit: www.pointschools.net/bostonschoolforest.