Run/Walk BOOM!!! Races Launch Huntington Woods Fourth of July Festivities (With Photos)

The second annual Run/Walk BOOM!!! races Saturday kicked off a week of Fourth of July festivities in Huntington Woods.

More than 350 people signed up in advance for the 1-mile and 5K races that serve as a fundraiser for the city's fireworks display over Rackham Golf Course in Huntington Woods, Run/Walk BOOM!!! event committee member Alex Cooper said.

"We're hoping for a pretty good walk-up turnout," Cooper said Saturday morning during registration inside the Huntington Woods Recreation Center. "We have a lot more sponsors this year, which is significant. That will help us get close to the goal of $14,000, which what the fireworks cost.

The Huntington Woods City Commission awarded a $14,000 fireworks contract to Colonial Fireworks Co. of Clayton, MI, on June 18.

The inaugural Run/Walk BOOM!!! event in 2012 raised more than $9,000 –  with the Huntington Woods Men’s Club paying the balance of the $13,500 fireworks costs – and attracted more than 400 participants and volunteers, according to the event committee.

The committee had considered changing the races' name following the deadly Boston Marathon bombings April 15, but 65 percent of respondents to a survey on the issue said they wanted the name to remain Run/Walk BOOM!!!.

"As we get further away from April 15, from Boston, it seems to be less of an issue. But, I'm sure it will come back next year during the anniversary," Cooper said. "We're still going to examine the issue, but I think we're OK."

The mood Saturday at the Run/Walk BOOM!!! races was light.

"It's about fun and community," Cooper said. "It's an event that you have people from A to Z and that's what makes it fun."