This past Thanksgiving morning was the 28th annual Gobble Gait in downtown Hastings! KDWA caught up with
Hastings Family Service Executive Director and CEO, Amy Sutton for a recap of this event. Executive Director Sutton shares about Gobble Gait and explains the many hands that work to make this event happen.
“We had our 28th annual Gobble Gait on Thanksgiving morning. It was a spectacular day despite the chilly weather. We had over 3000 registrations, and we have no reason to believe that we won’t surpass last year’s total of $132,000, because we also had the largest number of sponsors we’ve ever had. This community just did what they do, they come together and rally, and they support one another, and Gobble Gait has always been about neighbors helping neighbors, and over the 28 years, Gobble Gait has raised over two million dollars for HFS, and that creates such an impact. They have changed what our history has been and what our future looks like, and the community continues to do that.” Sutton further says, “So, we’re just thankful for everyone who comes out, our participants, and our presenting sponsors. This year, one of the greatest additions was The Studio Downtown, with Wendi Shilts-Johnson donating that as a warming house and Caribou providing hot chocolate and coffee. So, that was a great addition this year. And of course Fleet Farm was back handing out hand warmers. It really is just this humongous effort. And of course it happens because we have three amazing organizers who have been with it from the beginning—our Mayor Mary Fasbender, Jake Kochendorfer who does all the DJing and music for that day, and Brian Radke and his whole family; who help with all the accounting, all of the setup, and all of the registration. It was very fun to see his family this year three generations of Radkes helping, which is really a cool thing. So, it takes all of us, but in the end, it is just the most amazing. wonderful morning of the year, and it gives us a whole lot to be thankful for on Thanksgiving morning.”
(Broadcast Soundbite)