Volunteering at Old Bill’s Fun Run

One thing amazing about the town of Jackson is the whole town events that bring out everyone, from every nook and cranny. With such a giving population it’s nice to see how excited people get about getting involved. I had a chance to be directly involved in this year’s Old Bill’s Fun Run, on September 8th. The Graduate Students here at Teton Science Schools all volunteered and were in charge of traffic. With orange flags and yellow vests we were ready and willing to save all runners from oncoming traffic. However, I was placed at the corner of King Street and Broadway, which was thoroughly protected from all vehicles, so I became a people observer and sideline cheerer instead.

At first I was a bit disappointed to not be at a traffic point; I felt a wee bit useless. Soon enough I was totally excited to be right in the path of the starting line. Hordes of people started joining me at my corner, just as observers. All of a sudden I realize that this isn’t a regular race, this is a dress-as-crazy-as-possible race. People had all sorts of outfits. From kayak halves over their body to large float-like-ice-skates. My personal favorite was the librarians who ran while pushing their book carts.

The enthusiasm was so contagious that I was cheering all the racers on. I’ve participated in many runs of this sort, but rarely do I see people outside of the 20-30 age range. This is where Jackson blew me away. Children, Teenagers, Parents, Couples, Elderly, EVERYONE came out! There is something to be said about a community where everyone feels welcome and ready to show support and participate.

Before this event I thought that Jackson was solely a tourist town, but that Saturday proved me wrong. At the end of the race I saw three girls around the age of 10 or 11 coming towards the finish line. One girl reached and grabbed her friend’s hand so that they could finish together. Just proving that in Jackson everyone is working together.

Sara Stephan,
Graduate Student