Zelienople loves to party, parade and run

Their Fourth of July salute included a week of America250 activities, a two-hour, flag-filled parade and a run/walk through town for all ages — the Firecracker 5K and 1-Mile.

The Zelie celebration continues this week with the 62nd annual Horse Trading Days. The original festival began with an actual horse show in 1963 and has grown to three days of fun, beginning with a horse parade 7 p.m. Thursday and continuing through Saturday with entertainment and activities for all ages.

The 10th annual Hot to Trot 5K kicks off Saturday’s events with an 8 a.m. start at Glade Run Adventures. The scenic course winds past stables and horse pastures of Glade Run and through Passavant Community on roads, parking lots and sidewalks. A 1-Mile Family Fun Run starts at 9 a.m. with the same scenery. And tiny tots can join the fun with a 100-meter Tot Trot at 9:30.

Finishers in all Hot to Trot distances earn horseshoe medals. Top three overall finishers and age group winners from 19U through 70-plus earn competitive awards. Post-race refreshments include beer from local brewery Lolev for those over 21.

Don’t linger too long after the runs or you’ll miss Horse Trading Days’ dog show at 10 a.m. followed by a hot dog eating contest at noon. Both events are on the main stage on Main Street.

Register for Hot to Trot 5K, 1-Mile and Tot Trot at runsignup.com until 6 p.m. Friday. Day of event registration opens at 7 a.m. Saturday at Glade Run.

The following weekend, two races remember area residents. At 7 p.m. July 24, All Saints Parish Twilight 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run honors Butler Catholic School graduates Sarah Kasunic and Emily Leyland, who lost their lives to accident and illness, respectively.

Proceeds from the race fund Butler Catholic School scholarships in their honor. This year, three students will earn $2,500 scholarships, the largest-ever award from Twilight 5K.

All Saints begins at the St. Conrad Church ampus with an out-and-back 1-Mile Fun Run at 7 p.m. The Twilight 5K, which loops through Butler Farm Show grounds, starts at 7:30 p.m.

Competitive awards in the 5K include top three overall male and female finishers, top masters and top three in age groups from 10U to 60-plus. Top three overall and age group finishers from 5U to 15-plus earn awards. Race entry includes a goodie bag and post-race food and fellowship.

On July 25, runners head to Prospect for the 25th annual Rube’s Run, named for Baseball Hall of Famer George “Rube” Waddell.

Waddell, a talented but eccentric pitcher, grew up in Prospect. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates for a few years but claimed fame by leading the major leagues in strikeouts for six consecutive seasons with the Philadelphia A’s.

The 5K starts at 8:30 a.m. at the Presbyterian Church of Prospect. The rolling course loops through Prospect, past the location of Waddell’s boyhood home and a few blocks from the Prospect Area Preservation Society museum. Proceeds from the race help with building renovation costs.

The free kids fun run starts at 9:30 a.m. and involves short loop. Optional kids’ T-shirts may be ordered until July 18 for $5.

Competitive awards for the 5K include top three male and female finishers, top masters and age groups from 12U through 70-plus. There are hot dogs and drinks for all after the race.

Race director and long-time runner Jim Gallagher expects close to 140 participants, depending on the weather. As hot as it’s been this summer, he doesn’t wish for the soaking rain of last year’s event.

“That was the worst in 25 years,” he said.

Online registration is open at runsignup.com until 6 p.m. July 24. Shirts will be available until July 18. There’s also day-of-event registration beginning at 7 a.m.

Friday, 6:30 p.m.: America’s Mile, Pittsburgh. Run in heats at North Shore. p3r.org/races/americas-mile

Saturday & Sunday: Kinzua Half Marathon and 5K, Mount Jewett. www.kinzuahalf.com

Saturday, 8 a.m.: 10th annual Hot-to-Trot 5K & 1-Mile Family Fun Run and Tot Trot, Zelienople. runsignup.com/Race/PA/Zelienople/ZelienopleHorseTradingDaysHottoTrot5k1Mile

Saturday, 9 a.m.: Running Goals 5K, Rural Valley. runsignup.com/Race/PA/RuralValley/RunningGoals5k

Sunday, 6:45 a.m.: Presque Isle Half Marathon, Erie. www.pihalfmarathon.com

Sunday, 9 p.m.: Race to the Moon 5K Run/Walk, Apollo. runsignup.com/Race/PA/Apollo/RoaringRunRaceToThemoon

July 24, 7 p.m.: All Saints Parish Twilight 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run, Butler. runhigh.com/cal/race_details.php?id=1014

July 25, 8 a.m.: Project Mayhem Racing Trail and Obstacle Course Run Jam, Beaver Falls. 5K, 4-Hour Multi-Lap Race or 2-Mile Obstacle Course Fun Run on Brady’s Run Park trails. runsignup.com/Race/PA/BeaverFalls/ProjectMayhemRacingTrailOCRJam

July 25, 8:30 a.m.: 25th annual 5K Rube’s Run, Prospect. runsignup.com/Race/PA/Prospect/RUBESRUN

July 25, 9 a.m.: Killian 5K, Allison Park. Starts at North Park Boathouse. runsignup.com/Race/PA/AllisonPark/Killian5K

July 25, 9 a.m.: John Cossy Costantino Memorial 5K and 10K, Freeport. Starts at Jr. High School. runsignup.com/Race/PA/Freeport/JohnCossyConstantinoMemorial5K

July 26, 8 a.m.: Run with the Deer Flies 8K, 15K and 25K Trail Runs, Penn Run. www.indianaroadrunners.com

July 26, 9 a.m.: Project Mayhem Racing Trail and Obstacle Course Run Jam, Beaver Falls. Challenging Obstacle Course Race or 2-Mile Obstacle Course Fun Run on Brady’s Run Park trails. runsignup.com/Race/PA/BeaverFalls/ProjectMayhemRacingTrailOCRJam

July 29, 7 p.m.: Fredonia 5k (QUAD 3) & Half-Mile Kids Race, Fredonia. raceroster.com/events/2026/125551/fredonia-5k-quad-3

Aug. 1, 7 a.m.: Presque Isle Sprint Triathlon, Erie. runsignup.com/Race/PA/Erie/PresqueIsleSprintTriathlon

Aug. 1, 7:30 a.m.: Two Face 10K Road Race, North Park. runsignup.com/Race/PA/Wexford/TwoFace10K

Aug. 1, 9 a.m.: St. Barnabas Free Care 5K, Gibsonia. stbarnabashealthsystem.com/charities/annual-events/stbarnabas5k/ or 724-625-3770

Aug. 1, 8:30 p.m.: Howl at the Moon 5K, Beaver. Evening run. runsignup.com/Race/PA/Beaver/HowlattheMoon5K

Aug. 1, 9 a.m.: Two Face 10K Trail Run, North Park. runsignup.com/Race/PA/Wexford/TwoFace10K

Aug. 2, 9 a.m.: Moraine Regatta 5K, Portersville. Run on Sunken Gardens Trail at Moraine State Park. runsignup.com/Race/PA/Portersville/MoraineRegatta5k

Aug. 4, 7 p.m.: National First Night Out 5K, Punxsutawney. Flat and fast. runsignup.com/Race/PA/Punxsutawney/FirstNightOut5k

Aug. 8, 8 a.m.: Passavant Hospital Foundation Family Wellness 5K Run/Walk, Cranberry Township. Run in Graham Park. runsignup.com/Race/PA/CranberryTownship/PassavantHospitalFoundation5KRunWalk

Aug. 8, 6 p.m.: Run for the Trail 7K Run and 2 Mile Fun Run/Walk, Dilltown. Run on Ghost Town Trail. www.indianaroadrunners.com or 724-840-5961

Aug. 12, 7 p.m.: Ice Cream Race 5K (QUAD 4) & Half-Mile Kids Race, Grove City. runhigh.com/cal/twilight_quad.html

Rally for Rescues 5K, May 22: Josh McGinley, 1st Overall M, 19:25; Lucas Bowser, 2nd Overall M, 20:06; Uriah Miller, 3rd Overall M, 20:07; Jayden Morse, 4th Overall M, 20:12; Liam Breski, 5th Overall M, 23:45; Madelyn Smith, 1st Overall W, 26:55; Dianna Craig, 31:39; Kim Miller, 35:27; Patricia Neubert, 35:29

Rally for Rescues 2K, May 22: Ryanne Miller, 1st Overall W, 10:02; Matthew Miller, 10:12, 1st Overall M, Mitch Radella, 2nd Overall M, 11:32; Jill Thiele, 4th Overall W, 13:49; Rachel Katsko, 5th Overall W, 16:43; Jeannine Eichenlaub, 16:43

Freeport Flash 5K, May 30: Benjamin Perka, 1st 16:43; Seth Jenny, 2nd Overall M, 18:53; Brandon Bodily, 3rd Overall M, 20:13; Rebecca Hollobaugh, 1st Overall W, 22:14; Samuel Waksmunski, 1st 19-29 M, 21:21; Luke Shemanski, 1st 15-18 M, 21:45; Richard Stewart, 1st 50+ M, 21:48; Tyler Deacon, 1st 11-14 M, 22:05; Carson Schaeffer, 2nd 15-18 M, 22:10; Evan Michelini, 3rd 19-29 M, 23:34; Josh McClymonds, 2nd 11-14 M, 23:36; Owen Danka, 3rd 11-14 M, 24:23; Matthew Deacon, 2nd 40-49 M, 24:28; Kaleb Bodily, 3rd 15-18 M, 24:32; Lucy Hassler, 1st 15-18 W, 25:04; Lizzie Schwarz, 2nd 15-18 W, 25:06; Annabelle Geist, 3rd 15-18 W, 25:19; Juliet Geist, 2nd 11-14 W, 25:59; Alex Smith, 1st 30-39 M, 27:09; Elsa Sather, 3rd 11-14 W, 27:24; Nolan Transue, 3rd 10U M, 28:05; Kaitlyn Transue, 1st 30-39 W, 28:05; Will Gramlich, 3rd 40-49 M, 28:09; Joseph Rodriguez, 2nd 30-39 M, 28:16; Brittany Carson, 2nd 30-39 W, 29:00; Kerrienne Danka, 1st 40-49 W, 29:27; Lucy Bodily, 1st 10U W, 33:19; Megan Gramlich, 2nd 40-49 W, 35:26; Julie Eckman, 3rd 30-39 W, 35:34; Hazel Geist, 2nd 10U W, 35:49; Joy Foust, 2nd 50+ W, 36:48; Jacquelyn Bain, 3rd 10U W, 53:29; Bear Sather, 24:52; Stephen Hepler, 27:14; Weston Transue, 27:52; Adrianna Iachini, 28:21; Holden Schmidt, 29:18; Joshua Schmidt, 29:20; Elijah Grochalski, 31:16; Anand Bhat, 31:48; Ben Truden, 31:49; Bret Sather, 32:14; Maria Lowry, 32:56; Joy Beck, 32:57; James Beck, 33:06; Chuck Houser, 33:23; Bianca Generelli, 34:01; Owen Bodily, 40:55; Kyle Bodily, 40:55; Adalyn Bodily, 41:55; Laura Barton, 45:02; Adam Salinas, 34:52; Tyler Carr, 35:23; Owen Hixon, 36:40; Brianna Bain, 53:30; John Fratto, 53:55; Faith Fratto, 53:56; Gemma Fratto, 53:57; Andrew Selos, 53:58

Freeport Flash 10K, May 30: Brett Smithco, 1st Overall M, 34:05; Spencer Hepler, 1st Overall W, 41:47; Melissa Conjack, 2nd Overall W, 44:33; Nick Radio, 1st 40-49 M, 41:53; Uriah Miller, 1st 11-14 M, 46:53; Samantha Keener, 1st 30-39 W, 46:59; Carrie Birckbichler-Smith, 1st 40-49 W, 53:23; Julia Hixon, 1st 11-14 W, 53:44; Jason Green, 1st 50+ M, 53:48; Madison Hunt, 2nd 19-29 W, 54:03; Steve Sinka, 2nd 50+ M, 54:31; Karen Springmeyer, 2nd 40-49 W, 55:03; Chuck Sarver, 3rd 50+ M, 55:19; Ashley Downing, 3rd 30-39 W, 57:17; Michelle Hicks, 1st 50+ W, 1:03:14; Janette Clark, 2nd 50+ W, 1:25:51; Derek Hicks, 58:05; Alaine Generelli, 1:01:11; Stephanie Hasper, 1:06:01; Bella Fratto, 1:20:37

Pat Neubert is a running columnist for the Butler Eagle. Send comments and suggestions: Patricia Neubert, phone 724-822-1577, email lotzak@consolidated.net