Jen’s Market to host inaugural

Run-Run Reindeer Obstacle Course event

By LOIS KINDLE

Jennifer McCafferty, owner of Jen’s Market, is inviting area residents to come have some holiday fun and benefit A Kid’s Place Tampa Bay in the process. The Run-Run Reindeer Obstacle Course will take place at 1:30 p.m. during the next Jen’s Market Dec. 8 at Little Harbor, 536 Bahia Beach Blvd., Ruskin.

The entry fee is $20 per person, and all proceeds will go to A Kid’s Place of Tampa Bay, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization providing residential services for abused, neglected or abandoned children. Its main focus is to keep siblings together in a safe, stable, home-like environment until more permanent placement is found.

Each contestant must at least wear a pair of reindeer antlers to navigate the 1,100-foot course, which will include obstacles like Reindeer Scrabble, Toss Santa in the Chimney, Candy Cane Jog and Elf Village Crawl.

“It will be an extremely entertaining event in a  festival-like atmosphere,” McCafferty said. “Everyone’s invited to come do some early holiday shopping, help out a local nonprofit, and have a fun time.”

McCafferty said she hopes to raise $2,000.

Contestants in three age groups, who will be timed and also judged for the best reindeer costume, get two chances to successfully complete the course before being “timed out” and sent to a corral where they must stay until they pay $5 to get out.

Registration forms and rules can be found at www.jens-market.com or by emailing jennifer@jens-market.com. Contestants can also register the day of the event at noon. T-shirts will be given to the first 75 paid contestants.

Trophies and prizes will be awarded in each age group, and a trophy cup will be awarded for the best team time.  

Other event sponsors include MJ Naturals, Champion Self Storage, and the Harborside Suites at the Little Harbor Resort.

The 40-plus vendor market will take place from noon to 7 p.m., and Santa will arrive at 5. For more information, call 813-846-1316.