by Rabekah Henderson | Nov 30, 2023 | December 2023/January 2024, Do
How the Oakwood24 run/walk started—and continues—to race toward positive change in partnership with Healing Transitions.
Running for 24 hours may seem like… a lot. But Oakwood24, a 24-hour run/walk in Oakwood Cemetery from Dec. 22 to 23, supports a great cause worth the shin splints: long-term addiction recovery via Healing Transitions.
Not feeling a daylong jaunt? Rest assured, you don’t have to go big or go home. Participants can opt to run or stroll in six- or 12-hour timed challenges instead. NTM new this year are 12- and 24-hour relays, allowing small teams of people to participate together. … After all, teamwork makes the dream work!
Jumping back to the starting line, the run found its beginnings in 2018 with Raleigh resident Jon Frey, who struggled with alcoholism and drug abuse for years before eventually ending up at Healing Transitions. Now, the Oakwood24 founder credits the healing org for playing a huge part in his recovery.
“I found myself at a jumping off point where I was either going to drink myself to death or I was going to get some help,” reflects Frey. “I made the decision to get help in August 2016, and I went through Healing Transitions’ yearlong program.”
While in the program, Frey craved activity, as his years of alcohol and substance abuse had taken a toll on his physical health. He got involved with the fitness group F3, where he met friend and mentor Charlie Engle. Soon after, the pair began regularly running together. Engle, an ultralong-distance runner, encouraged Frey to join him on a small 24-hour fundraiser run in Clinton, NC, once he finished his time at Healing Transitions.
“I went down there with him and did this small lap race, and I ended up running 100 miles—and that got me hooked,” says Frey of the start of his love affair with running.
Frey soon began looking for ways to give back to Healing Transitions, and one of the first things that came to mind was a 24-hour run to raise money for the nonprofit. Frey organized the first run amid the backdrop of the historic Oakwood Cemetery due to its low traffic, scenery and elevation changes, which positioned it as an ideal spot to run mile after mile… after mile.
As far as support, Frey asked people to contribute per-mile donations, thus raising $30,000—$40,000 via that first run alone. Flash-forward and Oakwood24 is now entering its sixth year, so far raising a whooping $500,000+ for Healing Transitions.
“There’s a competitive side to it, but we also have people who just come out and hang around the bonfire or walk—or run five or six laps with me,” shares Frey. “It’s really become a community event.” … Ready to lace up your sneaks in support of a good cause?
by Liliana Trigilio | Nov 4, 2021 | November 2021, Web Exclusive
WEB EXCLUSIVE The Built Story app guides you through 20 of Raleigh’s most spooky spots.
Calling all thrill-seekers and lovers of the supernatural! Spooky season ain’t over yet. Experience Raleigh’s most terrifying ghosts, spirits and haunts through self-guided tour marketplace Built Story’s tour of the most spooky spots.
The Built Story app takes you ghost-hunting through 20 local haunted locations (mostly near NC State and DTR), including the likes of Dorothea Dix Hospital, Oakwood Cemetery, the Mordecai House and more—each with its own dose of paranormal activity and bone-chilling story of lore. They say the spirits of the deceased are said to walk among us in Raleigh—and during this tour, you may just come in contact. Boo!
Added bonus: Once the tour is purchased, you can start, pause, stop and retake it as many times as you wish for 30 days (so if you get too spooked, you can always work up the nerve for a redo). Happy haunting! $10 per person, app available on iOS & Android
by Cindy Schaefer | Sep 24, 2015 | Do, October 2015
Traipsing through a burial ground under the cover of darkness is fuel for the imagination, so why don’t you take a Oakwood Cemetery walk.
The Lantern Walk at Historic Oakwood Cemetery began 20 years ago, a project of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, who maintain the graves. All proceeds are funneled back into the upkeep of the Confederate section of Oakwood Cemetery.
One evening each October—this year Saturday, Oct. 24—lantern-carrying guides in period dress wind through the neighborhood of the Confederate dead, pausing to reflect on the events of the past. Amidst the graves, history comes alive with a series of skits put on by Civil War re-enactors and members of the local Sons of Confederate Veterans camps.
Oakwood was originally conceived as a resting place for the Confederate dead after concern about the condition of the graves that were sprinkled among Union soldiers at nearby Rock Quarry Cemetery. In 1867, hundreds of bodies were disinterred and reburied in Oakwood. The sprawling cemetery later expanded to be the final address of many notable Raleigh residents.
“It’s a huge tradition here,” says Robin Simonton, Oakwood’s executive director, who is quick to note that it’s not a ghost tour. “This is an active cemetery, and we are respectful of that.”
Marc Cheek, who heads up the walk, insists there’s not much about it that’s frightening and says it’s family friendly and suitable for all
ages. Skits are often based on the soldiers or veterans buried in Oakwood and are meant to educate visitors on the War Between the States and why the South went to war.
“I think people just enjoy the war and learning about Southern history,” he says. “The actors certainly aren’t professional, but we put a lot of effort into the skits.”
Simonton says any cemetery after dark tends to feel a bit spooky, especially in October. Even without ghosts, the Lantern Walk plays into that.
“It’s probably the creepiest thing the cemetery does.”
OAKWOOD LANTERN WALK
Where: Historic Oakwood Cemetery, 701 Oakwood Ave., Raleigh
When: Saturday, Oct. 24, 6 p.m.-10 p.m. Cost: $7; $4 for ages 6-11; under 6 are free The tour takes about an hour to complete with tour groups leaving every 15 minutes
Other Halloween happenings
HAUNTED FOREST AT PANIC POINT
Two haunted trails, a haunted hayride, corn maze and roaming haunters to keep you screaming all night. Must sign waiver before entering. Open Friday and Saturday nights in October, 7 p.m,. $16-$29 raleighhauntedhouse.com
HALLOWEEN AT HOGWARTS
North Carolina Symphony Music of Harry Potter, Meymandi Concert Hall, 1 p.m. & 4 p.m., $25
QDR HOWL-O-WEEN HARVEST BALL
City Limit Saloon, Live music from Hunter Hayes, Chase Bryant, Chris Lane & Mo Pitney $1000 Costume Contest, 7 p.m., $15
