The annual Highland Yard fundraising run is going on hiatus for a year, Places for People president Susan Tromanhauser confirmed last week.
The event has been a staple in Haliburton County since 1971, with the community coming together to support various important local causes. Recently, it has served as one of P4P’s major recurring fundraisers, bringing in more than $20,000 in 2023.
Tromanhauser indicated Highland Yard has generated approximately $200,000 for P4P since 2012.
“It takes a lot of man hours to pull the event off – what is it the kids say now? We don’t have as much bandwidth as we used to,” she said. “It’s not that we won’t ever do it again. We are going to continue with it – but not for 2024. We just don’t have the manpower to continue at this point.”
Highland Yard ran unencumbered for 49 consecutive years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. It paused for two years, skipping events in 2020 and 2021, before returning virtually in 2022, where runners were encouraged to complete two-kilometre, fivekilometre, or 10-kilometre circuits in their own time.
Rotaract Haliburton Highlands came on board as a key supporter post-pandemic, assisting with the virtual effort in 2022 and taking on more of an organizing role for the event’s return to in-person last year, where more than 180 people participated.
Tromanhauser said Rotaract did re-commit for 2024, but that still left organizers short in numbers.
P4P has announced a pair of events in August, which Tromanhauser hopes will help fill the void this year.
Residents of Oakview Coliving are hosting a community luncheon at their property overlooking Little Hawk Lake Aug. 17, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Cost is $25 per person if people book by Aug. 3, or $30 per person after. All proceeds will go to P4P.
A fundraising concert is taking place at Haliburton Forest Aug. 31, beginning at 7:30 p.m. On stage will be Grievous Angels – fronted by Charlie Angus, MP for TimminsJames Bay. Tickets are $40, with all profits to be directed to P4P.
Tromanhauser said volunteers with the nonprofit housing advocate are already thinking of ways to bring Highland Yard back in 2025.
“We’re hoping to come back new and improved – it might have a bit of a different look to it, but we definitely intend to continue. Highland Yard has been around for over 50 years. It’s a historic event here in Haliburton County, so we don’t want to lose it,” Tromanhauser said.
