The 34th annual Turkey Bowl will be run on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 27, at Tel Hai Camp & Retreat in Honey Brook. The event will feature a 5K cross-country race that will take participants through the camp and around the lake. The event will also include a 1-mile children's fun run.

This year's event will begin with registration and race packet pickup from 7:45 to 9:20 a.m. in the camp's dining hall. The fun run, which is open to children age 12 and under, will begin at 9:10 a.m. Parents may run alongside their child in the fun run at no charge. The 5K race will follow at 9:40 a.m.

Second Wind Race Timing will provide chip timing for the 5K race again this year. Online registration and mail-in registration forms can be accessed from the Turkey Bowl page of the camp's website. Online registration will be open until the end of check-in on race day. Participants will need to register online before they arrive or when they arrive using their cellphones.

According to Bruce Gregory, camp director, last year's participants had to brave running and walking through the rain.

"We had 373 finishers in the 5K race and 46 finishers in the 1-mile children's fun fun," he reported. "Considering it was a rainy morning, we had a good turnout. We are hoping for good weather this year."

The 5K is a 3.1-mile race that will cover a mixture of paved, gravel and grassy paths, including some hills. The kids' fun run will stay on the main campus.

Children who complete the fun run will receive a finisher's medal. First-place trophies will be awarded to the overall female and male runners of the 5K, and medals will be given to the top three finishers in various age groups.

Last year, Frankie Disilvestro of Honey Brook was the first male finisher in the 5K, with a time of 16 minutes and 42 seconds. The overall female winner was Laura Posh of Morgantown, with a time of 20:33.

Gregory said the race has become a popular Thanksgiving Day tradition in the area. Both local runners and out-of-town visitors for the holiday participate in the event. "Besides the Honey Brook areas, I know we have runners from the Downingtown area, the Gap and Oxford areas and the New Holland area," he stated, adding, "We are sponsored by over 150 local businesses and individuals who are listed on the Turkey Bowl page of our website."

Proceeds from the event are used to benefit Tel Hai Camp & Retreat, which is celebrating 75 years of camping ministry this year. According to a history of the camp, "Tel Hai" Camp, meaning "Hill of Life" in Hebrew, was founded in 1950 and incorporated in 1951 as an independent, nonprofit, Christian camp.

The board of directors, comprising members from Maple Grove Mennonite Church in Atglen and Conestoga Mennonite Church in Morgantown, developed a camp program for urban and local children. A farm was purchased north of Beaver Dam Road in Honey Brook, and the camp was started in a farmhouse. In 1956, the camp was moved to the woods on the south side of the road. In 1996, another 40 acres was added to the east of the site.

Today, the facility includes a gymnasium; a miniature golf course; a gaga court; an archery range and rifle range; a swimming pool; a climbing wall; and a challenge course, which includes a giant swing and zip line. The camp also offers banquet and luncheon facilities and offers retreat programs for churches, Christian schools and other related organizations.

Special events include a Mother & Daughter Spring Getaway offered in May and a Dad & Lad Camp offered in June.

Tel Hai Camp & Retreat also offers events that are open to the community, including spaghetti dinners and an annual vendor and craft fair. Information about the activities can be found at http://www.facebook.com/TelHaiCampRetreat.

To register for the Turkey Bowl, visit http://www.telhaicamp.org/events/turkey-bowl-run. Registration and a course map are also available by visiting http://www.runsignup.com, choosing "Find a Race" and then selecting "34th Annual 5K Turkey Bowl Race." Event T-shirts will be available on race day while supplies last.

The camp is located along Beaver Dam Road, 1.5 miles east of Route 10. The GPS address is 31 Lasso Drive, Honey Brook. There will be free parking and rest room facilities available. Parking will be located in the field by the lake on the north side of Beaver Dam Road.

For more information, visit the previously mentioned website or contact Gregory at 610-273-3969 or bruce@telhaicamp.org. Those who would like to volunteer on event day are asked to contact Gregory for more information.