The Fitzy’s 5K Halloween Event returned on Sunday with what organizers projected to be a record number of participants.
Around 600 people of all ages, many of them costumed, took part in the race beginning and ending at The Stone House in Wyomissing, with more still lingering in the park for food and entertainment before, during and after.
The turnout was wonderful but bittersweet, said Michael Fitzgerald of the annual event held to honor the memory of his daughter Lauren Fitzgerald.
A lifelong Berks County resident, Lauren passed away at the age of 20 in 2005 from complications related to a brain tumor.
The charity, Lauren’s Foundation, has been helping local people with scholarships, financial donations for families and brain tumor research, and organ donor awareness ever since.
“It’s always bittersweet because of why we do it,” Fitzgerald said. “But at the same time we’re able to do more in the community.”
After a one-year hiatus in 2020 due to COVID-19 in which the event was held virtually, Fitzy’s 5K Halloween returned for its 17th fundraiser and run.
“It’s just really neat to see how people continue to support us all these years later,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s hard to come up with words to express that.”