The City Fields Fall Fest 5k and Fun Run

Fall means shorter days, pumpkin spice, changing leaves and… festivals! As a runner, we love when these festivals include a quality race component like City Fields’ upcoming Fall Fest 5k and Fun Run. We especially love it when the 5k course takes us through parts of Cleveland we don’t normally run; we get even more excited when we trust the organization involved, knowing that our participation matters. All of these components come together in City Fields' upcoming fundraiser and race on September 28th. To learn more we connected with City Fields Community Engagement Coordinator, Kyle Stokes, to learn more about the race, City Fields and what runners can expect.

Kyle, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got involved with City Fields? 

I grew up on the north side of Cleveland and remember watching that side of town grow, develop, and change in real time. I moved away for college and seminary where, among other things, I learned about place-based development organizations. One organization in Atlanta, which is where I went to seminary, is called Focused Community Strategies, and I didn't know at the time that they were starting to consult with a new place-based development organization in my hometown - City Fields. I began to learn about the different trajectories of different parts of Cleveland over the last several decades and the variety of complex reasons why some places seem to flourish while other places seem left behind. When my wife, Kelly, and I moved back to Cleveland, I knew I wanted to get involved in some way with that kind of work. In 2020, after working at Unity Center and while I was working at Broad Street United Methodist Church, I joined City Fields' Board of Directors and then joined the staff this past January. 

For those who don't know, can you tell us about City Fields? What do you all do and how does that impact our community?

City Fields Community Engagement Coordinator, Kyle Stokes, invites you and your family to be a part of the Fall Fest 5k and Fun Run!

City Fields seeks to be a catalyst for change in Cleveland's most overlooked neighborhoods. There's a growing amount of data that shows that the neighborhood you're born into is more predictive than any other factor in your overall future health outcomes - physical health, mental health, economic stability, etc. One response to that circumstance is to encourage people to get out of their neighborhoods. City Fields' response is to listen to the voices of our neighborhoods and come alongside them, working together to create the kind of healthy, flourishing, connected neighborhood we want for any generation to be able to thrive in. Physical Revitalization, Social Revitalization, Leadership Development, Neighborhood Safety, and Economic Development are the five areas, or fields, we look at to discover what is holding communities back, and what opportunities lie untapped for creating a safe, healthy, engaged, and flourishing neighborhood. 

What about the event itself? With a name like Fall Fest, it sounds like a lot more than just a 5k! How did this idea come about and how will it benefit the work you all do?

Yes it is more than just a 5k! And you don't have to participate in the walk/run to enjoy the Fall Fest. All nonprofits try to come up with fundraising strategies every year - some work better than others, and what works for your organization might not work for another. We've never tried a 5k before but what we liked about the 5k idea is that it's not just a random route to raise money. We purposely chose to make the route in one of the neighborhoods we work with, Blythe Oldfield. Blythe Oldfield is so close to Downtown Cleveland and yet feels so far away due the barriers of the railroad tracks and the almost 50 acres of torn down manufacturing site (Magic Chef, Maytag, Whirlpool). This event gives us a chance to raise a little bit of money to continue our work, sure, but more importantly we are inviting Clevelanders on both sides of the tracks to connect with each other in our neighborhood. We are excited to be able to highlight a lot of City Fields' work along the route and show how neighbors who've advocated together for their neighborhood have been able to make a difference. 

The Fall Fest will feature local vendors, a live Bluegrass band, food trucks, a bounce house, and just all around family fun for the afternoon. We hope you're able to join us!

What should runners expect on race day? Where is the race, when does it start, and is there anything else unique about it? 

The race will start at 11am at 1075 Blythe Avenue - the front of the old Blythe Ave School building but runners will want to get there around 10. There are some fun hills along the route so you've still got some time to get some hill training in! Keep up with our Facebook and Instagram for further details as race day approaches. 

_________________________________________________

The City Fields Fall Festival 5k and Fun Run takes place on September 28th at Blythe Oldfield Park. The race starts at 11am but the festival goes until 3pm! To view the course route, learn more and register, visit the event page located on City Fields website.