A few years back, an early-morning run took a bad turn for Harrisburg resident Stacia Zewe.
The streetlight was out where she ran, so she couldn’t see the raised sidewalk in the gloomy dawn. She tripped and fell on the walkway along Front Street.
“I was all banged up and bloody,” she said.
Indeed, in Harrisburg, many lights blink out for extended periods, and a number of poles have been down for years without being replaced.
That’s why, in part, she was inspired to start a “glow run,” a race typically held at dusk in which runners wear something that glows, such as a necklace, bracelet, glow stick or object spritzed with glow spray, so they can be seen easily in the fading daylight.
This glow run, however, will have a special Harrisburg twist. Instead of running for a charitable cause or just for fun, the 5K fittingly will raise money to help the cash-strapped city pay for a basic, yet neglected service—lighting.
Zewe, who sits on the board of Historic Harrisburg Association, suggested the idea to then-Executive Director John Campbell. He brought on Matthew Krupp, who has raised money for a similar purpose through his group, Lighten Up Harrisburg—and they ran with it.
“She said it’d be a good idea to raise money for this, and we agreed,” said Campbell, who is also the city treasurer.
Harrisburg has budgeted only $69,000 this year to replace lights, though it hopes to draw from an infrastructure fund to increase that meager budget, said Mayor Eric Papenfuse. Across the city, Harrisburg has nearly 6,000 lights to install, and replacement bulbs cost $75 apiece, plus labor.
Therefore, every penny counts. If the Glow Run can offset some of that expense, money can be diverted for lighting needs elsewhere. The Glow Run, in fact, is focusing its efforts just on Front Street, one of the city’s most visible stretches and one plagued recently by burned-out lights and downed poles.
“We wanted to make a visible impact,” Zewe said. “Instead of fixing one or two lights in every neighborhood, we wanted to be able to point to our work, say, ‘here’s what we did,’ and move forward from there.”
Funds will go towards replacing the lights with LED bulbs, which are expected to last a decade or more. Unfortunately, organizers don’t anticipate raising enough money to buy new light poles, which cost about $4,500 apiece. Citywide, 72 poles are down, 20 just along Front Street, said Campbell.
Zewe said that, so far, the response to the idea has been enthusiastic. Runners who know of the city’s struggles have embraced the cause, she said. Some veteran 5Kers also are happy that the run will follow a different route than most other races along the city waterfront—starting in Riverfront Park, not on City Island, she said.
In addition, many businesses have stepped up to support the race through sponsorships, as they see well-lit streets as vital to a healthy, safe community. In fact, one downtown business—Sawyer’s Cantina—is hosting the after-party.
“It’s a really easy thing for sponsors to get behind,” said Zewe. “Sometimes, if you’re raising money for a certain cause, you have to have experienced that cause. But this is very relatable for everyone.”
Campbell, for one, has been impressed with the reaction both to the run and the cause.
“This is what a vibrant city looks like,” he said. “This is how I see the future of Harrisburg, people out doing things, being involved, on days, weekends and nights.”
The Glow Run steps off from Riverfront Park on June 7 at 8:30 p.m. Pre-registration is $25 for adults and $10 for children under 14. Day-of registration is $28 for adults and $15 for children. Pre-registered participants will receive a T-shirt and glow gear. The after-party will be at Sawyer’s Cantina, 210 N. 2nd St., Harrisburg. For more information and to register, sponsor or donate, visit https://historicharrisburg.com.
