The long-running Independence Day Run as part of Ridgefield’s Fourth of July celebration has been canceled for this year.
On Saturday, June 14, a Ridgefield, WA Facebook group member wondered about the Fourth of July schedule in regards to the Fun Run, which has served as a primary fundraiser for the Ridgefield High School Cross Country team since the 1990s.
And then, on Monday, June 16, Milly R. Turner made a post in the same group stating that due to potential safety concerns related to the large number of people expected in Ridgefield for the Fourth of July parade, “the City required me to move our long-running and successful Independence Day Race to July 5 this year.”
“Unfortunately, since announcing the new date, we’ve seen an 85% drop in participation compared to previous years,” Turner’s post stated. “On top of that, the city continues to deny all proposed alternate course requests and imposed volunteer requirements that are nearly impossible to meet.”
As of Thursday, June 19, the Monday, June 16, Facebook post by Turner appears to have been deleted. Reflector reporter Cade Barker commented on the post advising Turner that he had sent Turner a message on Facebook Messenger. The message asked if Turner would be willing to discuss the struggles with the City of Ridgefield that led to the cancelation of the event based on the information that was provided in her post. Turner did not respond.
“Given these challenges, we’ve made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s event,” Turner’s post stated. “All registration fees will be fully refunded by check and mailed to participants. We hope to revisit the possibility of returning the race to its traditional July 4th date in 2026, provided the city is willing to work with me to find a path forward that allows the event to thrive once again.”
Seeing that Barker had commented on Turner’s post, city of Ridgefield Communications Program Manager Megan DeMoss called on Monday, June 16. DeMoss said in a voicemail that she noticed the comment and wanted to inquire if there was any interest in obtaining a statement from the city regarding the canceled event and their continued efforts. In a followup phone call, an interview and/or information on the topic was requested to have by Thursday, June 19.
Going back to Facebook on the Saturday, June 14, post, Sandy Schill, festival director for the Ridgefield Fourth of July event, commented that the Fun Run will return next year on July 4.
“It will go back to being a Fun Run like tradition,” Schill’s comment stated. “The Fourth of July celebration, parade, festival and all activities is put on by an all-volunteer group with enormous support from the city. We are disappointed the run was canceled due to logistical reasons that got away from us.”
Schill advised that the city is stepping in to sponsor and coordinate a 3K Color Run the morning of July 4 this year only. Schill stated that the run should start at 8 a.m. and finish by 8:30 a.m. in time for Zumba in the Park that starts at 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Then on Friday, June 20, DeMoss emailed information on the new one year only Fun Run that Schill had mentioned in her Facebook comment. DeMoss provided a Ridgefield newsletter on Friday, June 20, that states the 2.5 mile Fun Run will start and end at Davis Park, 337-441 North Third Ave., in Ridgefield. Check in begins at 7:30 a.m. and the run will start at 8 a.m. The run is sponsored by the city of Ridgefield and supported by the Ridgefield runners with free entry for participants.
