'Keeping two traditions alive'
Picture 4,000 luminaria all ablaze marking the way for more than 1,000 runners of all ages in rustic Carefree and Cave Creek .

That’s what participants in the fourth annual The Desert Advocate Luminaria Run can experience beginning at 4:45 p.m. on Dec. 9 when Santa Claus makes a special appearance before the race.

“The runners can enjoy an evening event along a gorgeous course,” said Race Director              Maribeth Reeves. “It gives runners the opportunity to come and run a gorgeous course in a beautiful setting. And, our post‑race is hard to beat. After the race runners can feast on fry bread and chili. It’s one of the best spreads in town.”

Reeves said the run was designed to be a tribute to the annual Christmas Pageant which had been on hiatus for a few years.

“We wanted to keep that tradition alive,” she said. “Runners can come and enjoy the luminaria and have a lot of fun. We’re so excited the pageant is coming back to Spur Cross this year. We want to light both sides of the way to Spur Cross. That is if we can recruit enough volunteers to light the luminaria. That’s our focus right now, getting enough people to give us a hand.”

Proceeds from the event go to benefit the Black Mountain Elementary School Parent Teacher organization.

The only drawback for Reeves is she never gets to participate in the run because she is too busy as race director.

“As a runner I’ve always wanted to participate. This is an incredible community event. Literally hundreds of volunteers give their time and effort to help make it a success,” she said.

The number of participants is limited to the first 1,200 runners.

“We wanted to keep that hometown feel. We didn’t want it to turn into some great big commercial event. I like running in the smaller more intimate events. Everybody can come out and have a lot of fun.”

The run begins and ends at the center of Cave Creek located on Cave Creek Road in Cave Creek. Participants should go north on Cave Creek Road until it curves to the east. The first four‑way stop is School House Road. Turn left. The starting line is on School House Road  just past the post office. There should be traffic direction there.

For more than 50 years volunteers from Cave Creek and  Carefree have come together to recreate the Biblical story from which Christmas originated. The uniquely staged production features area actors and live animals but no dialogue. The story is told by a narrator reading from the King James version of the story as told in the New Testament. AA choir underscores the production with traditional Christmas carols.

The Foothills Christmas Pageant is the product of hundreds of volunteers working side by side on every facet of the production.

To get to Spur Cross attendees should take Spur Cross Road north to the pageant grounds by following the Laminaria. Early arrivals should be aware the run route may still be up. Just follow the runners up Schoolhouse Road and west on Fleming Springs; then turn north on Spur Cross Road.

The event is free but donations to help defray the costs of the production will be accepted.  For more information please call the Foothills Community Foundation office at 480‑488‑1090.