DPA hosts 5K for Ronald McDonald house



DPA hosts 5K for Ronald McDonald house | Discovery Park of America, Ronald McDonald, charity, Union City  Tennessee

Josh Massie works on McDonald's Pumpkin Village Race registration

UNION CITY, TN- On your mark, get set....go to Discovery Park of America for its first 5K race, a Fun Run and the chance to meet Ronald McDonald in person! October the 3rd is the date as Discovery Park of America is teaming up with McDonald's to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House in Memphis. As part of a year-long partnership that began June 1, 2015, McDonald's is sponsoring the month long McDonald's Pumpkin Village currently under construction near the Train Depot on the Discovery Park Grounds. To kick-off the month long event, Discovery Park and the McWorth group of nine regional McDonald's Restaurants are hosting a 5K/Fun Run on Saturday, October 3rd, 2015 beginning at 8:00 a.m.

The race will begin at McDonald's Pumpkin Village and the course will wind its way around and through the park. The 5K will begin at 8:00 a.m. and the Fun Run will begin at 9:00 a.m. with awards immediately following. Free admission to Discovery Park on October 3rd is included in the entry fee for all race participants.

For those who pre-register, the cost is $20 for the 5K and $15 for the Fun Run with all proceeds going to the Ronald McDonald House in Memphis. Pre-Registration is now through September 30th, although anyone who registers by September 18th is guaranteed a complimentary race tee-shirt. The gates will open at 7:00 a.m. on the day of the race, and people can register at that time for $25 for the 5K and $20 for the Fun Run, which also includes park admission for the day.

Runners can register online at the Discovery Park of America website, by calling the park at 731-885-5455 or by mailing in an entry form with payment. Online registration and Entry Forms are available on the Discovery Park's website.

In addition, Ronald McDonald will be at Discovery Park from 8:00 a.m. until noon on the day of the race. Discovery Park and McDonalds will be offering free photos with Ronald for all children who participate in the race that day.

Radio Stations WENK, of Union City, and WTPR, of Paris, are the premier sponsors of the event. Other tee shirt sponsors include UTM's ADII Sorority, Regions Bank, Taylor Farms, Lamar Billboards, Martin Brewer and Tyson.

For more information about the 5K Race, please contact Discovery Park of America and ask for Events or register online by going to the Discovery Park of America website at www.discoveryparkofamerica.com and click "Buy Tickets."

In addition to the opportunity to participate in the October 3rd 5K race, the Discovery Park partnership with McDonalds is valuable to park visitors who choose to eat at one of the nine McWorth locations following a day in the park. By going inside any of the following McDonald locations while wearing the Discovery Park wrist band, visitors will receive a 10% discount off their order. The locations are: Union City, Martin, Paris, Camden, Waverly, Huntingdon, McKenzie and Dresden in Tennessee; and Fulton in Kentucky. McDonald guests in all nine stores are seeing Discovery Park on the tray liners and have the opportunity to pick up a Discovery Park brochure before they leave. At the park, all guests are invited to "round-up" at the ticket counter to help raise money for the Ronald McDonald House in Memphis.

Discovery Park CEO Jim Rippy said that the relationship with McDonald's is a good example of a perfect partnership. "Both parties are benefiting from this partnership," Rippy said. "With close to 300,000 visitors a year, Discovery Park is a great venue for helping local and regional businesses get information into the hands of many of our out of town guests." Rippy went onto say that the park is attracting the attention of more and more business partners. "They are starting to call us, now," he said.

Discovery Park is located at 830 Everett Blvd. in Union City, TN. You can see the 2015 Calendar of Events, including upcoming educational and entertaining events, by visiting the website at www.discoveryparkofamerica.com .

The park is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and is a unique blend of history, science, architecture, art and fun.