Moosic is racing to improve its parks.
The borough will hold its inaugural “Move with Moosic 5K Run/Walk” at 9 a.m. Sunday, with all proceeds going toward improving borough parks, Mayor Bob Bennie said. With a route beginning at the Moosic Youth Center on Main Street, the course will take runners past multiple borough parks before looping back for a celebration.
So far, the race has raised close to $40,000 from sponsors alone, said Councilwoman Marilyn French, who is also the chairwoman of the race.
“It blew us away,” French said of the support. “I was like praying we would get to $10,000.”
At least 151 people registered for the race, with registrations costing $30 each, she said, adding to the total amount raised. Organizers do not yet have a final breakdown, she said.
Fidelity Bank was the presenting sponsor, she said.
The idea for the 5K came from a group of moms talking while their kids were at baseball practice over a year ago, French said.
Moosic’s Santa Parade gets a lot of engagement, so they discussed other seasonal events for the community, she said.
“We were thinking, ‘What could we do that’s not around a holiday that would get the community engaged and excited that would benefit the parks?’ ” she said.
That led to the formation of a committee and plans for Moosic to host its first borough-run 5K.
Going through a list of Moosic’s parks, French envisioned potential improvements, from making the William T. Quinlin Sports Complex, 230 Rear Spring St., more accessible with a walking trail and teener league field upgrades, to getting new backboards for the basketball court at Ken Smerdon Field off Water Street, which currently does not have backboards for its basketball court.
Addressing Edmond Piaski Memorial Park on Elm Street is also a top priority, she said, explaining the borough wants to give everything a facelift but make a larger investment into Piaski Park.
Edmond Piaski Park in Moosic on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Edmond Piaski Park in Moosic on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
The small neighborhood park needs updated Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant playground equipment along with new fencing, French said.
“It’s a cute little park in a neighborhood that has a lot of kids,” she said. “The last thing we want to do is get rid of it. … It’s one of the smaller ones that we can make a big impact on quickly.”
She hopes to improve Piaski Park this year.
Moosic will also seek grant funding for its parks, but the fundraiser is a way to make an immediate impact, she said.
In addition to the race, there will be festivities on Main Street on Sunday, including a DJ, food vendors, ice cream from Fidelity Bank’s ice cream truck, coffee, basket raffles and a fire safety house for kids to go through from the Fire Department, French said.
Bennie noted the significance of the race route taking runners past other Moosic parks that the fundraising could improve.
As runners begin the race at the Moosic Youth Center, they will wind down Main Street and Minooka Avenue to Felter Field, pass by the Moosic High Alumni Memorial and Piaski Park on Elm Street, travel up Spring Street to Mary Ann Nawrocki Park and then loop back around to end at the youth center, according to a race route description.
The 5K is a way for Moosic to get extra revenue to designate specifically for its parks without risk of having the funds redirected to items like paving, sewers or other maintenance, Bennie said.
“These dollars go specifically to green spaces,” he said. “This way it could go right toward the park and improve the quality of life for the residents.”
To register for the race, visit runsignup.com/Race/PA/Moosic/MoveWithMoosic. Preregistration costs $30 and ends Thursday at 11:59 p.m. Race-day registration will be $35, and organizers can’t guarantee T-shirts for those who register that day. Organizers ask race-day registrants to pay with cash.
The borough plans to make the 5K an annual event.