The Rocktown Turkey Trot is the perfect mix of fun and fitness on Thanksgiving morning (Thursday, November 26, 2015). The four mile course is designed with all skill levels  in mind - and it's ideal for first-timers and veteran runners alike. The Turkey Trot is a professionally timed event (you'll receive a race bib and chip timing device at packet pickup), but don't let that deter you from coming dressed in your favorite Thanksgiving-themed running gear!

The Gobble Gobble Kids Dash is the newest can't-miss tradition for kids on Thanksgiving. They'll be energized by the roar of the crowd and feel the freedom of wind in their face as they run through the closed-down streets of Court Square in Harrisonburg. Kids Dash participants will finish prior to the start of the Rocktown Turkey Trot. Learn more.

In August of this year, the City of Harrisonburg switched to a single stream trash collection system.  Now residents can put all of their recyclables and trash together in the same container.  It gets sent to a facility an hour away that sorts the trash from the recyclable material.  This is a better system because now, much more of our trash will get recycled.  However, there is a problem.  When people put food waste or liquids in the trash, it makes it a lot harder for other things to be recycled.  It degrades and ruins some of the recyclable materials, especially newspapers or cardboard boxes, and then they can't be recycled anymore.  Also, food is 60% water, so this adds unnecessary weight and volume to the trash that the city has to collect and transport, which costs a lot more money. 

In the past, the city has had a hard time educating residents about issues like this, because we have a changing population with the university, for example.  So we are trying to help.  We have made a stop motion video to educate people about not putting food and liquid waste in their trash and to tell people what they could do instead.  We are trying to spread the word about this new system and what Harrisonburg residents can do to help. 

• Roasted Butternut and Goat Cheese Quiche
• Sweet Potato Pancake 
• Cornmeal Buttermilk Biscuit and Sausage Gravy
• Apple Butter
• Local Potato, Onion and Kale Hash
• Granola with Honey infused Local Cream
• Baked Apples
• Wheat Rolls from Harrisonburg City Schools

Saturday: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday:  12:00 PM - 5:00 PM

• Thursday, September 18 @ 7:00 PM
• Friday, September 19 @ 7:00 PM
• Saturday, September 20 @ 2:00 PM

The new truck, a pilot mobile service coming to three college campuses this fall, offers a menu of drinks and food nearly identical to what customers would find in their neighborhood Starbucks stores.

The Starbucks mobile truck can move to various locations on campus throughout the day, making it convenient for students and faculty to grab a snack or beverage. While hours will vary on each campus, trucks are able to adjust business hours to suit the needs of their customers, in some cases staying open later than a dining hall.

The miniature libraries, begun in Wisconsin in 2009, have become pop¬ular side¬walk staples around the county. When a visi¬tor takes a book, they are expected to leave one in its place.

Rosalind O'Brien, creator of Sus¬tain Hburg, finds the Little Free Li¬braries concept to be inspirational. "I think it's a great example of people sharing and connecting with each other in an unstructured way," she said in an email.

"So much about our lives is bound by rules, and involves expectations of getting something back for what we give." In contrast, O'Brien said, the libraries allow people to use them as they see fit.

This new program is geared toward being a fun non-competitive introduction to triathlons.  The emphasis is completion over competition.  All finishers will receive an event medal. There will be two age groups for this event, ages 5-9 and ages 10-14.

This event will take place on Saturday, August 9 starting in Westover Park. The swim portion will take place in Westover Pool (5-9 swim 50 meters, 10-14 swim 100 meters); the run and bike portion will take place in Westover Park and the surrounding neighborhood. Maps of the run and bike course will be below.

$20 per child, registration deadline is August 1, 2014.