The Durant Trails & Open Space Turkey Chase 5K and Fun Run gobbled again last Saturday after a twoyear break due to construction on Crooked Smile Trail.
A ribbon cutting and dedication for the bridge over Chuckwa Creek at the Crooked Smile Trail off North First Avenue near the Southeastern Visual & Performing Arts Center was held April 8. This was a 10-year project of Durant Trails & Open Space in conjunction with Southeastern, the City of Durant and other organizations. Pavement also was added to a section of the trail and the bridge has since been named the Dr. Thomas Newsom Bridge. Newsom was president of Southeastern at the time of the dedication.
Tim Boatmun, a member of Durant Trails & Open Space, was pleased to have the Turkey Chase again.
“This is just an opportunity for the community to gather to give thanks to, to try to work off a little bit of that Thanksgiving meal and it’s also a fundraiser to help support running and walking areas in the Durant area,”Boatmun said.
“When we were working on the trail, there was construction on the trail and so we haven’t done it for two years but now, the trail is up and fully ready. We’re back and ready to go. This is actually our sixth but we didn’t do it for a couple of years while the construction was occurring.”
Before the morning run, Boatmun recognized Mark Mesiti-Miller and Donna Murphy of Durant Sustainability Coalition, an organization that is a community partner with Durant Trails & Open Space.
“If you’re looking for an opportunity to volunteer, get involved, to do multiple different things to help Durant in a better way, make sure to hook up with the Durant Sustainability Coalition doing multiple wonderful things,” Boatmun said.
