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Talk Line: Dixon Family YMCA's Heather Grobe talks Reagan Run '26 · WIXN AM 1460 - Shaw Local Radio

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  Speaker 1: Good morning, Sock Valley, and welcome back here with the
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  Speaker 1: Waking Crew here on FM ninety five one and AM
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  Speaker 1: fourteen sixty WIXN. It's eight point fifteen on your for Friday,
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  Speaker 1: Juneteenth morning. It's sunny, sky's beautiful weather today and it's
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  Speaker 1: time for talk line and I'm joining the booth for
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  Speaker 1: the first time since I've taken over at the legendary
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  Speaker 1: Steve Marco studio. Heather Grobe, Executive director of the Dixon
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  Speaker 1: Family YMCA. Heather, how are you.
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  Speaker 2: I'm good.
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  Speaker 1: It's a nice time of year. Things are really starting
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  Speaker 1: to bloom out, including events, and one big event that
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  Speaker 1: everybody who's from here knows about and looks forward to.
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  Speaker 1: I've heard you can walk, so I might actually look
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  Speaker 1: forward to this because I'm not a runner. But that's
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  Speaker 1: the Reagan Run.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, the Reagan Run is coming up this year. It's
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  Speaker 2: held this year actually on July fourth, the Saturday of
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  Speaker 2: Petunia Fest is starting at eight am. It steps off
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  Speaker 2: at the Reagan boyhood home and it wraps up. It's
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  Speaker 2: a new course this year, utilizing the pedestrian bridge across
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  Speaker 2: the river. It wraps up at Haymarket Square like normal,
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  Speaker 2: but the route is slightly different, so.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, incorporating the Patunia the new Platunia Pedestrian Bridge. Wow,
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  Speaker 1: I can't say that today, but yeah, I think everybody
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  Speaker 1: was really hoping that would all kind of coincide in time.
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  Speaker 1: So I think that's really cool that they've done that.
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  Speaker 1: And so you know, where does the Why tie into
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  Speaker 1: the Reagan Run?
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  Speaker 2: So the Why is actually a benefactor of the funds
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  Speaker 2: raised from the Reagan Run. We're one of several We
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  Speaker 2: receive some funding from them as well as Dixon Athletics
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  Speaker 2: and the Athletic Boosters, Dixon Main Street, Dixon Park District.
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  Speaker 2: The Dixon Police and Firefighter Charitable Associations also receive donations
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  Speaker 2: following the race from any funds that are raised through that.
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  Speaker 1: So just you know, not at only is it a
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  Speaker 1: great community event, but it's something that raises funds for
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  Speaker 1: a lot of really important things.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, and those organizations then in turn sponsor different events,
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  Speaker 2: community events for children, sponsor sports teams, things like that.
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  Speaker 2: So it's really just giving back to every child in Dixon.
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  Speaker 1: So yeah, Dixon does this really great job of these
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  Speaker 1: different organizations coming together. I mean, everybody's got their own agenda.
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  Speaker 1: That's you know, that's why we're separate entities. But they
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  Speaker 1: all do a really good job of kind of trying
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  Speaker 1: to collaborate with each other and seeing where, you know,
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  Speaker 1: what can we do to take something and see if
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  Speaker 1: there's runoff for everybody, how can we benefit each other.
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  Speaker 1: It's a fantastic network.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, and we've we've really come to notice that
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  Speaker 2: over the last couple of years. But just how can
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  Speaker 2: we each do what we do really well and reinventing
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  Speaker 2: things that are happening in other places. So us communicating
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  Speaker 2: with the park district in these different organizations really helps
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  Speaker 2: figure out what can we do that we do well?
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  Speaker 2: What can they do that they do well?
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  Speaker 1: So absolutely, Now for those who you know, are they're
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  Speaker 1: stretching their hammies right now in anticipation, but they haven't
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  Speaker 1: signed up yet. How do they go about doing that?
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  Speaker 2: They can sign up online. You can go to run
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  Speaker 2: sign up dot com or the Reagan Run website just
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  Speaker 2: reaganarun dot com and find information there. You can stop
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  Speaker 2: into the YMCA on North Galena. We've got registration forms
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  Speaker 2: in a dropbox. You just drop your payment there and
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  Speaker 2: currently the registration fee is twenty five dollars through until
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  Speaker 2: July third. The online registration does close the afternoon of
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  Speaker 2: July second, but you can sign up in person on
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  Speaker 2: July third, still at the y and then race day
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  Speaker 2: registration increases then to thirty five dollars and that can
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  Speaker 2: be done until seven thirty am the day of the race.
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  Speaker 1: There you go, You've got your options. If you're a procrastinator,
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  Speaker 1: which sometimes I find myself being, so I won't preach
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  Speaker 1: to anybody today. I do my best to combat that though.
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  Speaker 1: But thankfully, you know, there's prizes for being the early
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  Speaker 1: bird that gets the worm with a bit of a
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  Speaker 1: discount there. But you still have time no matter what,
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  Speaker 1: to get there. And you guys are going to be
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  Speaker 1: posting race times online again this year, right, yeah.
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  Speaker 2: Usually the results are shared following the race. The times
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  Speaker 2: are listed by age group, division winners, overall winners. All
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  Speaker 2: of that is available pretty quick after the race completes.
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  Speaker 1: And now, even though this is Reagan Run, this is
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  Speaker 1: something that if you wanted to, you know, be a
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  Speaker 1: part of the community spirit. You know know that this
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  Speaker 1: is going to help benefit something great. But you're like,
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  Speaker 1: I'm not sure I'm running. You can walk this, right?
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  Speaker 2: You can walk it. Yep. It's open to runners and walker.
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  Speaker 2: When we set up the starting line, it's set up
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  Speaker 2: in the pace where you think you're gonna finish the race.
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  Speaker 2: So those quicker runners are going to line up right
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  Speaker 2: at the starting line. Any walkers are going to be back.
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  Speaker 1: That's fine, yep. Somebody's got to keep up with the
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  Speaker 1: rear and the gear and the rear, so that's okay.
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  Speaker 1: That's usually my rule.
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  Speaker 2: I always say someone's got to make sure everyone else
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  Speaker 2: makes it so.
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  Speaker 1: And on a related note, there's also a run for kiddos.
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  Speaker 2: There is we do we also they offer the Kids
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  Speaker 2: Fund Run. It's the same day that starts at seven thirty,
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  Speaker 2: same starting line as the full race. It is slightly shorter.
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  Speaker 2: It's about six tenths of a mile. They run from
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  Speaker 2: the Boyhood home and they do just a little course
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  Speaker 2: straight to Haymarket Square. They don't go across the bridge
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  Speaker 2: or anything like that. It's free for anyone who would
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  Speaker 2: like to participate. A lot of times we'll see parents
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  Speaker 2: running it with their kiddos. And you can register ahead
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  Speaker 2: of time the same way that you would register for
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  Speaker 2: the full five k, or you can register the day
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  Speaker 2: of the race at the starting line and that wraps
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  Speaker 2: up at seven fifteen. For that registration, there's T shirts
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  Speaker 2: available their first come, first serve. We don't order specific
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  Speaker 2: sizes for individuals, but the first I think it's one hundred,
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  Speaker 2: one hundred and fifty participants, we'll get a T shirt
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  Speaker 2: and those are just available the day of the race.
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  Speaker 1: There you go, they those are available. Make sure you again,
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  Speaker 1: there's boons to signing up early, but you've got your options.
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  Speaker 1: And now the race has got quite a history, right,
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  Speaker 1: like over twenty five years.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, the first Reagan Run was in two thousand and
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  Speaker 2: that one kicked off with three hundred and fifteen runners
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  Speaker 2: and walkers, and we've seen a lot of trends over
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  Speaker 2: the years of numbers fluctuating. In that twenty twenty five's
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  Speaker 2: race had a little over eleven hundred finishers with almost
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  Speaker 2: thirteen hundred entries, and this year, earlier this week, we
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  Speaker 2: were at somewhere between eight and nine hundred registrations already.
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  Speaker 2: So wow, it's shaping up to be yeah, just as competitive.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, there are a lot of people who flock
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  Speaker 1: to this. You see those numbers continuing to go up.
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  Speaker 1: It's it's again It's one of those things to where
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  Speaker 1: if you're from the area, people know it. They look
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  Speaker 1: forward to it, and they usually drag their newbie friends
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  Speaker 1: into it.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, and some people that's what they come home for
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  Speaker 2: around that Petunia Fest time is yeah, coming home to
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  Speaker 2: run that race.
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  Speaker 1: So no, I absolutely love it. Again. It's uh. I've
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  Speaker 1: been telling everybody you know, this is part of it.
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  Speaker 1: I've dubbed it the Sock Valley Summer of Fun because
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  Speaker 1: there's just so many events happening throughout the Salk Valley
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  Speaker 1: that there's you can't say there's anything to do. I
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  Speaker 1: hate when somebody there's nothing to do, Like, no, Yes,
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  Speaker 1: there is so.
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  Speaker 2: Much to do, especially in this summer with the Yeah,
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  Speaker 2: the city markets and the music and all of that.
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  Speaker 2: There's so much every week from made to September.
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  Speaker 1: So yeah, and I mean why included with so many
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  Speaker 1: of the events that you have going on the programs.
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  Speaker 1: When my kiddos were younger, one of the favorite things
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  Speaker 1: that I really appreciated was those summer day camps that
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  Speaker 1: the kids would go to. Fantastic. The kids always had
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  Speaker 1: a blast and when they got home they slept good,
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  Speaker 1: they were tired.
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  Speaker 2: I always tell parents The one thing I can promise
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  Speaker 2: you is that your kid will come home probably dirty,
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  Speaker 2: definitely tired.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, when those kids come home, you feed them supper,
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  Speaker 1: give them a bath. There is I had never had
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  Speaker 1: any trouble.
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  Speaker 2: A lot of times they fall asleep on the way home.
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  Speaker 2: So ends on the day.
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  Speaker 1: Absolutely. Well, this is fantastic information. Either we do have
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  Speaker 1: a few minutes. Is there anything else you wanted to share?
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  Speaker 2: I did want to touch on packet pickup kind of
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  Speaker 2: what that looks like for anyone who is registered or
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  Speaker 2: might be registering. Packet Pickup is hosted on Friday, July
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  Speaker 2: third at the YMCA and the Gymnasium. You come in,
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  Speaker 2: everything is very organized. They've got the bag set up,
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  Speaker 2: the shirt's ready to go. You go in, you get
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  Speaker 2: your bib, you get your shirt, anything that might be
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  Speaker 2: in your little swag bag that they've prepared, and it
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  Speaker 2: just one less thing you've got to take care of
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  Speaker 2: the day of the race. And then when it comes
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  Speaker 2: time for a race day, a lot of people will
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  Speaker 2: get dropped off down at Haymarket Square. There's golf carts
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  Speaker 2: that shuttle people back and forth to the starting line,
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  Speaker 2: so that when you're done you're down there at the
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  Speaker 2: finish line ready to go.
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  Speaker 1: So there you go. Absolutely, And if anybody wants any
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  Speaker 1: more information on any of this, what's the best way
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  Speaker 1: to do that.
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  Speaker 2: The Reagan Run website has a lot of information. Again,
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  Speaker 2: that's reaganarun dot com. Nancy Varga is the Reagan Run expert.
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  Speaker 2: She's been a part of that group since the very beginning,
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  Speaker 2: and she's available via email and Varga six to one
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  Speaker 2: at gmail dot com. But otherwise a lot of that
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  Speaker 2: information is available on their website and ready for them.
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  Speaker 1: Perfect. And if anybody wants any more information on the
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  Speaker 1: Dixon Family YMCA, because me and you could probably fill
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  Speaker 1: a couple of talk lines between all of the programs, classes,
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  Speaker 1: camps events that the wise gut Gona, I'm serious, it's
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  Speaker 1: it'd be too much for one talk line. So what
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  Speaker 1: would be the best way for people to digest that
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  Speaker 1: at their like leisure leisure either one pick it.
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  Speaker 2: So we have been really marketing ourselves out on Facebook,
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  Speaker 2: so anything that's upcoming, any current classes, every day there's
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  Speaker 2: a post going out of what classes are offered those days.
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  Speaker 2: So social media is a good starting point. Our website
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  Speaker 2: has our schedules for the pool, the gymnasium again, land
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  Speaker 2: fitness classes. That's all available on our website. You can
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  Speaker 2: stop in. We have our main YMCA facility at one
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  Speaker 2: ten North Galina, right across from McDonald's. We've all seen that.
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  Speaker 2: And then we do have a new child care facility
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  Speaker 2: that is just south of town, right across from Walmart,
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  Speaker 2: behind Chipotle. That's how I give people.
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  Speaker 1: That are That's how people like me take directions. It's
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  Speaker 1: not this street yet, it's how far am I from
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  Speaker 1: a business or a rest.
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  Speaker 2: There's no south or west or anything for me. It's
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  Speaker 2: just Chipotle's right there and it's a big building right
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  Speaker 2: behind it. So we do. We've got a lot going on.
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  Speaker 2: Our summer camp is partnering with Soft Valley Community College
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  Speaker 2: this summer to use their facilities, their space that they
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  Speaker 2: have to provide camp for kids. We had an influx
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  Speaker 2: in registrations this year with us being the only school
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  Speaker 2: age program, so we've seen a big increase in the
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  Speaker 2: interest in that. So we're trying to continually just trying
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  Speaker 2: to build and improve on that.
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  Speaker 1: Andah that going the Wise Childcare Center was a big
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  Speaker 1: blessing and we've actually talked about this on the show,
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  Speaker 1: not You and I, but I've talked about it with
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  Speaker 1: other guests when it comes to childcare in the area
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  Speaker 1: and some of the struggles that parents were having, especially
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  Speaker 1: as some of those facilities that came before the Whys,
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  Speaker 1: which were long standing staples in the community, you had
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  Speaker 1: to shut their doors and there were so many parents
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  Speaker 1: that were like, what am I going to do? And
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  Speaker 1: this is just such a fantastic facility that you guys have.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, we've been lucky to receive a lot of support
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  Speaker 2: from the community in general. The city has been a
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  Speaker 2: good partner for us in just communicating and kind of
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  Speaker 2: working through some of the things to get the building
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  Speaker 2: up and running. But yeah, it's been post COVID. I
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  Speaker 2: feel like there's been a really big focus on what
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  Speaker 2: childcare means to a community. I mean, you can't have
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  Speaker 2: a working community without someone to take care of the kids. Yeah,
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  Speaker 2: and so that has been brought to kind of the
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  Speaker 2: focus of a lot of communities is how how does childcare?
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  Speaker 2: How do we increase and improve childcare and make it
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  Speaker 2: affordable for families so that they can continue to work
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  Speaker 2: and build our economy. So we've been communicating more with
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  Speaker 2: Open Sesame, the other childcare center in town, just to
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  Speaker 2: kind of keep everyone on the same page and make
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  Speaker 2: sure we're all kind of at that same level of focus.
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  Speaker 1: And yeah, so again another example of how organizations and Dixon,
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  Speaker 1: although their own entities, are working together for the common
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  Speaker 1: good of the same thing.
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  Speaker 2: So Yep, collaboration and partnership has been I would say
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  Speaker 2: over the last year. I mean, our biggest focus is
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  Speaker 2: just building up those relationships with the different organizations because
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  Speaker 2: everyone's the expert at what they're doing, but when it
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  Speaker 2: comes to learning something new, we can always rely on
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  Speaker 2: another group to help us.
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  Speaker 1: So I love hearing that. Well, Heather, we're out of
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  Speaker 1: time this morning, but I want to thank you so
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  Speaker 1: much for sharing all this information and the fine work
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  Speaker 1: that you and the folks at the Dixon Family YMCA
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  Speaker 1: do for this community. I'm sure I'm not alone and
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  Speaker 1: saying that we appreciate it.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you,