Fun Run helps fill winter calendar

After a three year absence the annual winter event known as the Fun Run returns in 2023. Killed off by a pandemic since 2020, the Fun Run is a popular event in the cold of winter.

Not having a weekend where people travel between Ely, Tower and Babbitt to check in and increase their chances of winning prizes including a year’s supply of toilet paper was truly missed.

This was a chance for folks to get out on a Saturday and travel by car or snowmobile between the three communities followed by a wrap-up party at Fortune Bay that night.

One of the Fun Run’s benefits are seeing three communities working together. Volunteers in Ely, Babbitt and Tower put in some long hours to make the event happen, from bagging up over 300 prizes to stamping booklets all day. We need more opportunities like the Fun Run for the three communities to work together.

There are a lot of common threads that run through the area and anytime we can get everyone on the same page, we all come out ahead.

Take ambulance service as an example. Ely, Babbitt and Tower have their hands full providing a life-saving service. Financially the odds are stacked against each one. Each one has had financial and staffing difficulties. Are there joint solutions out there? Possibly and definitely worth looking into further.