Free holiday color run and family fest comes to Rochester's Dexter Lane Field on Sunday

ROCHESTER Kids will race through bursts of colored powder Sunday afternoon at Dexter Lane Field in Rochester, where the Friends of Jack Foundation is holding a new Holiday Color Run and Family Fest. The event runs from 1 to 3 p.m. on Nov. 1, the day after Halloween, and it costs nothing for children to take part.

The afternoon also starts the foundation's holiday giving. The run kicks off this year's Tutu Challenge and the foundation's Holiday Toy Assistance Program for local children and families, and organizers ask each family to bring a new, unwrapped toy.

How the afternoon runs

Check-in opens at 12:45 p.m. The family fest starts at 1 p.m. with free holiday crafts, lawn games, music and a family photo area. The color run itself steps off at about 2 p.m., with 50- and 100-yard dashes split by age. Nobody has to run: the foundation says children can walk, jog, skip or dance their way through. Crafts, games and photos keep going after the run until the wrap-up at 3 p.m.

Busy Bee Jumpers, a local company, donated a bounce house for the day. The Rochester Police Department is the event partner and will be on site with cruisers and officers, and a touch-a-truck runs before and after the race. All of it is free, according to the foundation.

Who is behind it

Friends of Jack was founded in 2019 by Jill Fearons, who started it after stressful hospital stays with her son showed her how much child life specialists and other overlooked programs help children through scary and unfamiliar medical situations. The nonprofit supports children's health across the South Coast and Rhode Island. It gives superhero capes, masks and Hero Bears to children in treatment to help them feel less alone, runs therapy car and comfort dog programs, and pays the salaries and costs of child life specialists at local hospitals in the South Coast and Providence.

Fearons, the foundation's founder and president, summed up the event's theme in its announcement: "Not every superhero wears a mask and a cape."

Waterman Building and Remodeling is the presenting sponsor. Owner Brian Waterman, who has served as an assistant coach at Dexter Lane Field, told Fun 107, "It's actually part of my direct community because I'm part of the Tri-Town." He also said, "I feel like the Friends of Jack Foundation is a great cause to help support." The station, an event partner that has worked with the foundation before on its Food for Tots fundraiser, reported that the company will bring some of the heavy equipment from its roofing work for kids to see.

Before you go

• Register Registration is free for kids, through the event link on friendsofjack.org. Donations are welcome and optional. Questions go to peter@friendsofjack.org.
• Who can come Children of all ages are welcome. A parent or guardian must stay on site and supervise their children for the whole event.
• What to wear A white or light-colored shirt shows the color best, and tutus are encouraged. Bring a towel and a change of clothes, a zip-top bag for your phone, and layers and comfortable sneakers. The foundation says the powder is safe and made for races, and it suggests clothes you don't mind getting dirty.
• Parking Parking is available at the park and in the surrounding neighborhood.
• If it rains The event depends on the weather. Any change will be announced by 10 a.m. Sunday in the registration email and on the foundation's social media.

Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.