This year there is a lot to Celebrate in Munford! While the Celebrate Festival has been around for 35 years, since 1984, there is another milestone to celebrate this year. The Celebrate Munford 5k is turning 20 years old!

The Celebrate Munford 5K began as a small community foot race on the day of Celebrate Munford festivities in 1999. By the year 2006, it became clear that the race was growing, and that supporting two large events in one day was too much for our small town. The race officially called the Celebrate Munford 5K Run-Roll-and Stroll, established it's very own race day on the third Saturday in August beginning with the 2007 run.

“We have grown from 20 runners to an average of 300 participants since then.” DJ Watson, race director, told us and continued, “We are told that a race that is 20 years old is a special feat and we would not have succeeded if it had not been for our supporters. Sponsors who have been with the race since 2007 include: Turner Family Dentistry, the Memphis Runners Track Club, the Boy Scouts Pack 66 Munford, the City of Munford, and the Munford Middle School Cheerleaders. Later we added Walgreen's who support the race in-kind providing the best "goodie bags" far and wide.”

Since 2009 the race has been proud to have Baptist Memorial Hospital Tipton as their Title Sponsor. Proceeds from the event focus on the needs of the Munford-Tipton County Library as well as scholarships.

For the past few years, this run has added a very special aspect that makes the race unique: Up to 80 participants from Youth Villages in Memphis board their buses to come to our race, which is a reward that must be earned by the youth. Watson added, “They are excited to be here and for them, it is a trip out of town. Over the years the kids have proven to be very competitive, often taking home meals. But most exciting is the annual attendance, after the race, at the Troop 66 Boy Scout Pancake Breakfast as our guests. This special treat is made possible by a generous donation by Richard Ali and his team at Green Meadows.” Watson finished, “I can think of no better way to bring the community together for a day of fun and fitness than to cap it off by hosting our young guests while also supporting Scouting. This race has it all. Please come help us celebrate our 20th anniversary on August 17th.” For more information on the race, visit their facebook page - or register online: racesonline.com/events/www-celebratemunford5k-com

You can also email DJ Watson at djroaddawg00@gmail.com

“This year’s theme at the Festival on September 21st is “Celebrating Talent” and we are very excited about it!” President Cynthia Gerwig told us. “We started taking video submissions July 1st and our first elimination round will be August 10th, second elimination is August 31st, and our last elimination to determine the 5 finalists will be on September 9th. All finalists advance through online votes, so you will want to share the Facebook link, as much as possible. The 5 finalists will be performing on our Entertainment Stage and as Keith Paluso - 2018 finalist on The Voice - closes out the live entertainment, the live voting for our winner will begin.”

This is a totally new endeavor for Celebrate Munford. The normal entertainment, booths, crafts, kids area, and art contest are still in place, so it looks like this year will be an absolute blockbuster! The festival will open around 9am and will close at 5pm. For a complete schedule, please visit the City of Munford’s website, or the Celebrate Munford facebook page.