The annual Montgomery 5K River Run will take off and finish Saturday, Oct. 2, at Montgomery Village Hall, 200 N. River St.
Race day 5K registration is available for $35 a runner (13 and older) and $15 (12 and younger). Runners can upgrade to run the 10K route for an additional fee. This year, post-race activities in downtown Montgomery include the inaugural Pie Palooza at Atrevete Confections. Additionally, the top two runners (male and female) will receive a certificate for a free pie during the upcoming holiday season, as well as their top finisher medals.
“We are turning the bakery into a pop-up pie shop for the upcoming holiday season, and we wanted to unveil it in a fun way. It seemed fitting to tie it into a day that we knew there would be some extra traffic in the area,” said Atrevete Confections owner and French pastry chef Jacqueline Mejia.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2, the shop will offer tastes of the 18 rotating pies that will be seasonally available for purchase and by pre-order through the shop. The list includes coconut cream, PB&J, peanut butter cup, key lime, lemon meringue, eggnog, French silk, apple, Dutch apple, caramel apple, cherry apple, sour cherry, blueberry, peach, peach berry, pear raspberry, chocolate bourbon, pecan and spiced pumpkin. As if coming for the pie were not enticing enough, the shop will host games and activities for kids, giving away pumpkins, selling fall season treats such as their Hibiscus Apple Cider, and offering face painting.
The Montgomery River Run is a longstanding race along the Fox River that takes place the first Saturday of October. The race was canceled in 2020 because of COVID-19, but is back this year, offering a safe outdoor and socially distanced way for the community to get out and be active. The racecourse follows the river upstream over the Ashland Street bridge and downstream toward Oswego. The race offers a 5K and 10K route for runners, and welcomes walkers, pets and strollers on the course. Chip timing, a water station, and post-race refreshments will be available.
For the safety of the runners, the race will require some road closures beginning about 8:30 a.m. The race starts at 9 a.m. and is expected to last until about 10:30 a.m. Roads will open once runners clear the area. Racers, spectators, or Pie Palooza guests are encouraged to access the riverside downtown area from the west (Lake Street) toward Webster Avenue and access events from Main Street. Parking will be available at Village Hall, Atrevete Confections, Lyon Metal and the village’s property at 310 N. River St.
Engineering Enterprises Inc., the engineering firm of the village of Montgomery, hosts this event annually for the community. For information about the 2021 Montgomery River Run, visit montgomeryil.org/187/River-Run. For those interested in attending Pie Palooza, visit the Atrevete Confections’ Facebook or Instagram page.