ROBERT PIERCE
• Leader & Times
Thanksgiving is about a week and a half away, and the day will see millions of Americans eating tons of turkey and fixings.
One popular activity for many following the holiday meal is walking as they try to balance out what they eat with a little exercise.
For several years, Seward County United Way has given people a chance to get some exercise in prior to Thanksgiving with its annual Turkey Trot, which former Director Diana Esparza called a chance to “run the race before you stuff your face.”
This year’s Turkey Trot is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 22, and current SCUW Director Patricia Fierro said United Way volunteer Teresa Randle is in charge of this year’s event.
All money raised from the Turkey Trot will go to SCUW, and Fierro said United Way is helping to facilitate the event as well.
“We try to help out in everything we can,” she said.
The Turkey Trot features runs or walks of one mile and five kilometers. The registration fees are $20 for the 5K and $10 for the one-mile. Children 10 and younger can participate for free.
Registration starts at 8 a.m. Nov. 22 at 21 Plaza Drive, the Hay Rice & Associates building. Fierro said Randle will be putting up maps to let participants see the route to get in a little pre-race practice.
In addition to race morning registration, participants can also use a QR code for pre-registration. The Turkey Trot officially begins at 9 a.m. Saturday, but Fierro said participants can show up earlier too.
“We’ll be there before 8 and be ready for them to start showing up,” she said.
Pie and hot chocolate will be available at the finish line, and finisher medals will be awarded to all. There is a family-friendly walk option available, and awards will go to the top two finishers in both the 5K and one-mile categories.
“They’ll be getting turkeys, and there will be a raffle for all of the participants who register for a half a year free membership for Southwest Fitness & Racquetball,” Fierro said.
Fierro said that membership will help one lucky participant develop exercising habits after putting on holiday pounds.
“They can eat as much as they’d like and work it off at the first of the year,” she said.
Thanksgiving, along with Christmas, also sees the arrival of relatives in many American homes, and for local families who have others coming to Liberal, Fierro said the turkey trot gives those families opportunities to do something while they are in town.
“You are able to bring your little ones as well,” she said. “It’s a nice event that allows us to be able to raise funds for United Way.”
For more information about the Turkey Trot, call Teresa Randle at 303-359-875, or e-mail
Halloween night, SCUW hosted its annual Halloween Bash, and Fierro said she was pleased with the results of that event.
“It went really well,” she said. “We were very grateful we had a lot of participation from our community. We had over 25 vendors, which was great. All provided some form of a game for the kids, which they really liked.”
Fierro said she appreciated Cory Barnett from CallCory.com bringing games and cotton candy for the Halloween Bash, and she anticipated more than 1,000 people came to the Seward County Activity Center for the night’s fun. She added excitement is already building for next year’s event.
“We have many other business owners who have already contacted us wanting to participate next year,” she said. “Hopefully, next year’s is going to be a little bigger than this one, but overall, I was very happy with the results.”
United Way will help locals celebrate Christmas in December as well. Saturday, Dec. 20, SCUW along with Bienestar Total is hosting the annual Posada Navidena event. Fierro said a location is still being finalized.
The event, she said, is something United Way and Bienestar Total put on as a way to give something back to the community.
“It’s a day we want to bring the Christmas spirit and have different activities for those families who have their members in another country,” she said. “They feel lonely. This gives them a sense of Christmas joy. We do traditional themes that are done with Posada Navidena.”
Fierro said she is hoping to incorporate pinatas this year, and as always, there will be gifts. Santa will also be on hand taking pictures with children.
“I’m hoping we can get a lot of participation and more and more each year,” she said. “Last year’s was so much. We had such a bigger audience than we had in our first year. These events are really great to bring community together and bring the spirit back to those families who typically are going through hardships or may need a little boost. They need to feel they’re not alone during the holidays.”
As 2025 begins to draw to a close, Fierro said recent months have seen more activity for United Way, and she looks to carry that momentum into 2026.
“We’re really happy,” she said. “We have a fairly new board and myself. We’ve been learning a lot, and we’re hoping to make next year a lot better. We’re seeing some things that work and some things that don’t. It’s a learning process, but overall, we’re moving in the right direction and continue to be grateful for all of the support we have gotten throughout the year. We hope to continue making this a better organization.”
