WOOD RIVER - Saturday, May 20 will be a busy day in Wood River with the Police Department’s 5k Race starting at 1 p.m. and the Summer Kickoff event from 2 to 8 p.m. The day’s activities will feature over 50 vendors, live music, nine food trucks, and more.

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Festivities will take place along Ferguson Avenue between Wood River Avenue and Second Street. Registration for the 5k Race can be filled out online at this link or in-person before the race with registration beginning at 12 p.m.

Wood River Marketing Consultant Kristen Burns and Police Chief Brad Wells appeared on a recent episode of Our Daily Show! on RiverBender.com to discuss everything going on at the events. Burns said part of the reason they’re able to have so many vendors and food trucks at the event is because of Wood River’s business community.

“We have amazing business owners that step up to the plate and they’ve helped us out,” Burns said. “They’ve got connections, we’ve got connections, we kind of put our heads together and we just made it happen.”

She said the business owners along Ferguson Avenue are able to have things out on the sidewalk to participate in the event, along with other Wood River vendors who regularly sell items at the Farmers Market and similar events, and said there will also be things for kids to do at the event, ensuring fun for all ages.

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“Really, it’s a full community event to get summer started,” Burns said. “We’ve got music, we’ve got food, we’ve got vendors, we’ve got stuff for kids - seriously, we’ve got everybody doing stuff.”

Chief Wells said the 5k is a great way for officers in his department to “interact with the community.”

“It’s a great event for the department to get out into the community and interact with the community where they’re maybe not wearing the uniform, where they can socialize with the community,” he said.

He added that the proceeds from the event’s sponsors will help fund a memorial for two officers that died in the line of duty in Wood River in the early 1900’s. The memorial is to be installed in front of the Police Department, and Chief Wells said the department opted to fundraise the money rather than request it from the city - so far, he said that fundraising total is approaching the $30,000 mark.

The full interview with Burns and Wells can be watched at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.

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