BEVERLY — The Ridge Run and Memorial Day Parade in Beverly will be extra red, white and blue this year.
The Beverly Area Planning Association returns to host the 38th annual Ridge Run and subsequent parade on Memorial Day. But the event on May 25 is expected to have an even more patriotic flare as a home-decorating contest is now part of the festivities.
Residents on Longwood Drive between 110th Place and 96th Street are invited to participate in the contest sponsored by the association's Memorial Day Parade Committee. Cash prizes will be awarded to first-, second- and third-place winners.
The Ridge Run is already known for its strong neighborhood support as homeowners along the route regularly cheer runners by playing music in their driveways, setting up sprinklers to cool the contestants and offering their own water stations.
Registration for the CARA-certified neighborhood race begins at 6:30 a.m. on the day of the event. Runners can also register online ahead of the race, which includes a 10K that begins at 8 a.m., the Dick O’Neill Youth Mile at 8:10 a.m. and the 5K run and walk at 9:30 a.m.
All races start and finish at Ridge Park at 96th Street and Longwood Drive in Beverly. Registration is also available in the field house.
Ridge Run entry fees through May 24 are $35 for a timed 5K, $30 for an untimed 5K, $40 for the 10K and $60 for the Ridge Run Challenge for runners interested in tackling both the 5K and 10K. Fees increase by $5 for those registering on the day of the event.
Prize money is awarded to the top three overall men and women in the 10K and 5K races. Runners who register and complete both races will also receive Ridge Run Challenge medals. All participants receive tech/cotton blend T-shirts.
Runners ages 6 to 13 can compete in the Dick O’Neill Youth Mile for $20. Southtown Health Foods sponsors the race, and White Sox baseball mascot Southpaw is the official starter.
The Beverly Hills/Morgan Park/Mount Greenwood Memorial Day Parade begins as soon as the last of the 10K runners passes 110th Street. This is one of the oldest community parades in Chicago, according to organizers.
The parade heads north on Longwood Drive and culminates in a color guard, laying of the wreath and a ceremony in remembrance of the men and women in the armed forces. Veterans of World War II are being honored as the 2015 grand marshals.
Marching behind them will be a variety of veterans’ organizations, bands, school groups, churches, scouts, and local groups.
Scheduled participants include the Illinois Patriot Guard Riders, Southside Military Families, Chief Sauganash Society of Children of the American Revolution, Girl Scout, Boy Scout and Cub Scout troops from around the community, Morgan Park High School JROTC, baseball and basketball teams, and pom pom squad, Brother Rice High School Band, Marist High School, the Stockyard Kilty Band, Bugles Across America, Ridge Historical Society, antique cars and horses from the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences.
Advance registration for the Ridge Run available at www.bapa.org/ridgerun or from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays at the planning association office at 1987 W. 111th St. in Morgan Park. Those looking for more information about the parade can also visit the office, call 773-233-3100 or email bapa@bapa.org.
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