WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH — Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity’s annual Turkey Trot race will likely need to find new turf next Thanksgiving. The Town of Wrightsville Beach appears poised to deny its event application for the 2022 race.
A 16-year tradition benefitting Cape Fear Habitat’s affordable housing mission, the 5-kilometer and 1-mile race started in 2005 with a few hundred participants. Last year, according to town officials, it boasted nearly 3,000 racers. The course starts and ends near town hall at Wrightsville Beach Park, and takes racers around The Loop and through residential streets on the island.
The influx of participants over the years has caused growing pains for the town, which hosts two holiday events of its own — the tree lighting ceremony and the N.C. Holiday Flotilla — during the same weekend. Trash gets left behind after the race and decorations get damaged, according to Wrightsville Beach Parks & Recreation.
Parks and rec has asked town leaders to deny Cape Fear Habitat’s special event permit application that would authorize the race to take place Nov. 24, 2022. The application will be considered Thursday evening by the board of aldermen, who can vote to approve or deny it.
The department cited difficulty procuring police officers to monitor road closures, and expressed concern over the race director’s decision last year to “arbitrarily” change the start time from 8:30 a.m. to 8 a.m. — unbeknownst to town officials.
“The Turkey Trot is a great fund-raising event for Habitat for Humanity, but staff recommendation is that this application should be denied, and that the organization should seek a larger venue that will accommodate their continued growth,” according to the board of aldermen agenda.
Katie Ryan, the town’s parks and rec program supervisor, said in years past there have been discussions in the aftermath of the race about the town’s qualms.
“It’s time to bring it to the board’s attention that this is really becoming an issue,” Ryan said. “It requires police when they already have two other events that are mandatory, so then they have to come in and support this one.”
Past Turkey Trots have brought in more than $100,000 for Cape Fear Habitat. In 2021, the organization served 41 families in New Hanover, Pender and Duplin counties through its homeownership and repair programs.
“In spite of the pandemic, the rising cost of supplies and supply shortages, we served more families than ever before in 2021,” according to Cape Fear Habitat development director Christina Ferris. “In fact, we are now serving four times the number of families each year than we did just five years ago.”
Lauren McKenzie, executive director for Cape Fear Habitat, said a few months ago the town brought forward concerns about the size of the event. She said the organization still intends to submit its application for review.
“No matter the outcome, we’ve been grateful to be able to host this event for so many years, and we hope that families will continue to support us even if it’s not at Wrightsville Beach,” McKenzie said. “But, there’s still the chance that we could come to an agreement where we could still have it at that venue, and that’ll be decided on Thursday.”
Cape Fear Habitat, along with the racing coordinator Go Time, are seeking alternative sites for the 2022 Turkey Trot in case the application is denied.
“We haven’t made concrete decisions because we are still hoping to explore Wrightsville Beach,” McKenzie said. “We also understand their concerns that the event is outgrowing the capacity of Wrightsville Beach.”
The board of aldermen meets Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in town hall. Readers can scope out the full agenda here.
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