One of the grants awarded by the Peabody Community Foundation at its pancake breakfast in February was to Brian Lightner, who is planning a Peabody community track meet to encourage healthy activity and community sports. Lightner is the Peabody-Burns track coach — a guy who probably runs, jumps, leaps, and soars on a daily basis. He just looks like someone who has never met a high jump bar he didn’t like and couldn’t conquer.

I attended that pancake breakfast and listened to the list of grant recipients as they were named. I confess to inwardly groaning when the words “community track meet” were spoken. I looked at the table full of older folks like myself sitting around plates swimming in sausage, pancakes, and syrup and I wondered if he meant us. Several of those in my vicinity had that deer in the headlights look — would we be required to move quickly and sweat?

However, I also was intrigued by his proposal — a community track meet? My first thought was that I would pay $100 not to be included on any team. My second thought was that I meant it! I never was much of a runner, jumper, or leaper. So my money is on sitting in a lawn chair. If anyone wants to be on my team, just let me know. We should pay to be a non-team. I know that and we will. Whatever funds we gather will go to support the community track meet. We just won’t have to move or sweat, you know?

I have to say that I am always pleased when someone in the community comes up with an event that is new and different and just crazy enough to be a success. Who would have thought that running teams of dogs across Alaska would ever achieve notoriety on sports channels across the world?

So I am going on record here to endorse the very first community track meet. The event is slated for May 3, which happens to be the same day as the community-wide garage sale, but hey, we can all shop the garage sales early in the day and then show up at the community track meet to cheer on our favorite neighborhood athletes. There will be events for grade school students and adults, with nominal entry fees for the adult participants. Those fees will be donated to the HUB.

If you want to be in the Lawn Chair Brigade, just let me know. You will have to cough up a donation to participate, but remember you do not have to move or sweat. We will be proud of all the participants. We will contribute and join a great event for the community.

Thanks to Brian Lightner and friends for a clever and healthy event to promote our school district and communities.

— SUSAN MARSHALL