Just for the fun of it, the Riverbank Parks and Recreation Department hosted a run ... a FUN run ... for the community over the weekend, and dedicated it to local ‘Super Heroes.’

Appropriately, it was titled the Super Hero Fun Run, where participants were invited to walk, run or even fly (super hero style, anyway) over the 5k course. It was laid out by Recreation Supervisor Julia Petit.

As she told participants as they got ready for the 10 a.m. start of the event, it began on the sidewalk right in front of the Burney Pavilion, near the east end of Jacob Myers Park on Saturday, May 4.

Following arrows chalked onto the walkway and around the parking lot, it led to the western end of the park.

There, three laps of the walking trail and a return on the driveway back the way they came, would reach the finish line, also in front of the Pavilion, where participants received ribbons, and were treated to barbecued hot dogs, cooked by Petit, herself.

She said the event was to celebrate the heroes in our community, and firefighters from Engine 26 of the Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Protection District were on hand to help start the race.

And Ricky Raccoon, the Parks Department mascot, was also on scene, to help start the race, with American Flags in each of his hands ... er, paws.

Active Duty Military, Veterans, members of Law Enforcement and other First Responders ran for free, but all others were asked to pre-register.

Petit indicated the event was part of the city’s lead in to upcoming Memorial Day activities. Those will include a scheduled gathering at the Veterans Memorial Wall at the Community Center, 3600 Santa Fe St., on Monday, May 27 at 11:30 a.m.

There, city officials will honor the sacrifices local residents have made in the nation’s Armed Services.