For the 12th year in a row, as spectators gather for the annual Rhododendron Parade this year, Port Townsend Sunrise Rotary will be making final preparations for the “Running of the Balls.” Rotary members will lay a track down Monroe Street and release thousands of numbered golf balls, which race down the hill just ahead of the first parade unit.

The first three balls to the finish line will win cash prizes of $1000, $500 and $250.

The money the club raises from local sponsorships, and by selling tickets for the numbered golf balls, is used in numerous ways.

It provides picture dictionaries for all third-grade students in Jefferson County, funds the Rotary International Youth Exchange program, awards both academic and vocational scholarships, and serves many local needs, including foster family support, Olympic Neighbors and senior programs.

The club also supports Mock Trial, a Port Townsend High School service club, international clean water and sanitation programs, and ongoing support for Rotary International’s biggest success story, the work to end polio. This year, in memory of longtime member Consuelo Aduviso Brennan, the club added scholarships for youth participating in performing arts. 

At the Port Townsend Farmers Market, the club has an information booth to sell “Running of the Balls” tickets, and in a new venture, it will also provide heart health awareness information.

In addition to purchasing individual balls, local organizations are encouraged to participate in the “Colored Ball Challenge.” For $400, 100 colored balls will be included in the event in their name. If one of the colored balls wins, the purchaser agrees to donate the proceeds to the benevolence fund of their choice. Port Townsend Kiwanis Club won the grand prize one year. This was a real win-win for our community!

Port Townsend Sunrise Rotary thanks the ongoing support of Rogers Paint Group, Hulbert Custom Construction, Steve and Lori Kraght, Exceptional Homes with John L Scott and Aldrich’s for making a big difference, for the club and in our community.

For more information about purchasing tickets, sponsorships and/or membership in Port Townsend Sunrise Rotary: email PtTownsendSunriseRotary@gmail.com, find us on Facebook at Port Townsend Sunrise Rotary, or find the QR code on PTSunriseRotary.org, which enables easy purchase of Running of the Balls tickets.