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Yosef follows closely behind as participants in Appalachian’s Spooky Duke Race and Costume Contest carry a banner bearing the event’s name. Photo by Marie Freeman

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This jacket-donned skeleton protects the chill from swirling through his bones as he greets participants registering for Appalachian’s eighth annual Spooky Duke Race and Costume Contest. Photo by Marie Freeman

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A tutu-clad Spooky Duke skeleton sports some skin as she races down Rivers Street. Photo by Marie Freeman

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And the race is off! Participants in Appalachian’s 2018 Spooky Duke — which include Hulk Hogan in the lead — begin the 5K and 10K race on Rivers Street. Photo by Marie Freeman

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Santa and his helpers showed up early to help High Country children with special needs by participating in Appalachian’s eighth annual Spooky Duke Race and Costume Contest. Photo by Marie Freeman

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Freddie the rabbit, left, poses with one of his cartoon character sidekicks at Appalachian’s 2018 Spooky Duke Race and Costume Contest. These characters were created by Tyler Leblanc, a 2017 graduate of Appalachian’s Scholars with Diverse Abilities (SDAP) program. Photo by Marie Freeman

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Participants in Appalachian’s eighth annual Halloween-themed Spooky Duke Race and Costume Contest pose for a photo. The Spooky Duke event raises funds and awareness for the work of Appalachian’s Parent Family Support Network-High Country, which supports local families who have children with special needs. Photo by Marie Freeman

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This cow is “udderly” excited to support High Country families and children by racing in Appalachian’s 2018 Spooky Duke. Photo by Marie Freeman

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One hot dog shows off its costume and races alongside its owner in Appalachian’s 2018 Spooky Duke Race and Costume Contest. Photo by Marie Freeman

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Three throwback fitness instructors jog down Rivers Street in Appalachian’s 2018 Spooky Duke Race and Costume Contest. Photo by Marie Freeman

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Yosef, the Mountaineer mascot of Appalachian, cheers on witches, zombies, vampires and other nightly creatures as they fly, creep or shuffle across the finish line in the 2018 Spooky Duke Race at Appalachian. Photo by Marie Freeman

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A trio of pumpkin participants in Appalachian’s 2018 Spooky Duke Race and Costume Contest are all smiles as they pause for a photo. Leslie Roberts, far left, is employee wellness manager at Appalachian Regional Healthcare. Photo by Marie Freeman

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Super Girl is a flash of pink and white as she uses her powers to travel at lightning speed in Appalachian’s 2018 Spooky Duke Race. Photo by Marie Freeman

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This gruesome threesome of vampires raised from their tombs to race in Appalachian’s 2018 Spooky Duke, which raises funds to support High Country families who have children with special needs. Pictured are Taylor Dale ’18, a graduate student in Appalachian's reading education program, center, her mother, Jennifer Dale, left, and her father, Jay Dale. Photo by Marie Freeman

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A young vampire shows off her incoming fangs during Spooky Duke 2018 at Appalachian. Photo by Marie Freeman

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Dr. Connie Green, professor in the Reich College of Education’s Department of Reading Education and Special Education at Appalachian, shows off her strength as Captain Underpants, the starring character from a children’s novel series by American author and illustrator Dav Pilkey. Photo by Marie Freeman

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Darbie Segraves, an Appalachian junior majoring in elementary education from Jefferson, holds a sign that tells the story and displays a photo of 12-year-old Sugar Grove resident Melia Haury, who was born with half a heart that is also backward. Haury has undergone three separate open-heart surgeries since age 3, and currently lives with her mom, Karen Haury, in the Levine Children's Hospital in Charlotte. Melia Haury, who was on the transplant list for a new heart since Aug. 16, received her new heart on Oct. 25. Photo by Marie Freeman

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Spooky Duke 2018 scares up fun and funds for High Country families

Race Results
5K Top Finishers (men)

First place — Eric Vandeford; time: 18:45.
Second place — Ben Killion; time: 21:35.
Third place — Will Kabrich; time: 21:48.1.

5K Top Finishers (women)

First place — Whitney Schutz; time: 21:42.1.
Second place — Kadie York; time: 22:05.0.
Third place — Faith Blume 22.24.2.

10K Top Finishers (men)

First place — Wil Norris; time: 35:44.5.
Second place — Matt LoPiccolo; time: 38:36.0.
Third place — Cole Horine; time: 44:34.5.

10K Top Finishers (women)

First place — Tilda Helgesson; time: 39:44.0.
Second place — Taylor Gupton; time: 41:25.7.
Third place — Emily Curlin; time: 47:58.5.

View the complete Spooky Duke 2018 race results

Event Sponsors

Hair Raisers ($1,000-plus contribution)

  • Dr. Charles R. Duke.
  • Appalachian's Cratis D. Williams School of Graduate Studies.
  • The Health Foundation Inc.

Fang-tastics ($500-plus contribution)

  • App State softball.
  • Go Postal in Boone.
  • AppHealthCare.
  • Mast Farm Inn.
  • Mast General Store.
  • Mountain Works.
  • Ultimate Sound DJ Company.
  • Woof Pack Pet Services.

Jack-o'–lanterns ($250-plus contribution)

  • 4 Forty Four Inc.
  • Charlie’s Auto Parts/NAPA Auto Parts.
  • Coe Realty Co.
  • M&B Printing.
  • Modern Toyota of Boone.
  • Ray’s Weather Center.
  • Rich Summit View Cabin Rental.
  • Skyline-Skybest.
  • Up ‘N Running.
  • Mountain Times.

Skeletons ($100-plus contribution)

  • Appalachian State University Bookstore.
  • Appalachian Ski Mountain.
  • BAYADA Pediatrics.
  • BBQ-Burgers and Brews Restaurant and Tavern.
  • Blue Ridge Energy.
  • Blue Ridge Vision.
  • Boone Drugs Inc.
  • Critcher Brothers Produce Inc.
  • DeWoolfson Down.
  • High Gravity Adventures Zip Line and Aerial Park.
  • New River Building Supply and Lumber Co.
  • Ross Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram.
  • Tweetsie Railroad.
  • Which Wich Superior Sandwiches.
By Heather Brandon and Jessica Stump
Posted Nov. 5, 2018 at 3:01 p.m.

BOONE, N.C. — Monsters, superheroes and skeletons galore tested their endurance and supported the work of Parent Family Support Network-High Country (FSN-HC) Saturday in the 2018 Spooky Duke Race and Costume Contest at Appalachian State University.

A total of 374 racers and 75 volunteers participated in the eighth annual Halloween-themed event, raising awareness and over $11,000 in funds for the work of Appalachian’s Parent to Parent Family Support Network-High Country (FSN-HC), which supports local families who have children with special needs.

An additional $10,000 in matched funds was awarded to Parent to Parent FSN-HC director Kaaren Hayes via a grant from The Health Foundation Inc., bringing the total amount of funds raised through the event to over $21,000.

Hayes said, “I love Spooky Duke! It brings families, students, staff, faculty and the wider community all together to have fun, raises essential funds for Parent to Parent FSN-HC, and most importantly, adds strength and commitment to a vision of a world where everyone is valued and included.”

The event, named in honor of Dr. Charles R. Duke, former dean of Appalachian’s Reich College of Education (RCOE), is a certified 5K and 10K race and features a free costume march and contest in which children, adults and pets share in the fun.

Members of Appalachian Educators Club provided free child care and children’s activities at the event — including face painting, sidewalk chalk, bubbles and games of cornhole — and greeted participants at the finish line with cheers, high-fives and water bottles.

Following the race, participants took part in the costume march. Prizes were awarded for costumes and for the top three male and female runners in both the 5K and 10K.

The Parent to Parent FSN-HC program, which is housed in the RCOE, provides free support, caring connections, information and hope to High Country families who have a premature baby; a child with a disability, an emotional or behavioral challenge, a mental illness and/or a chronic health condition; and/or to families who are grieving the death of a child. The program serves Alleghany, Ashe, Mitchell, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey counties.

A ‘spooktacular’ family affair

Parent to Parent FSN-HC exists to serve families, and for many, Spooky Duke is a family affair.

Taylor Dale ’18, an Appalachian reading education master’s candidate, participated in the Spooky Duke race alongside her parents, Jay and Jennifer Dale, who traveled from Swannanoa to run the race. Dressed as a family of vampires, they ran the course and crossed the finish line together.

Others, like Leslie Roberts, ran with their work families. Roberts, employee wellness manager at Appalachian Regional Healthcare, recruited a group of five pumpkin-clad colleagues to join in the fun.

“I love the atmosphere. It’s fun and celebratory,” she said.

In addition, a number of Appalachian’s students, faculty and staff participated — many from the RCOE, including students from the college’s Students with Diverse Abilities (SDAP) program, who dressed as characters from the movie “Elf.”

Families served by Parent to Parent FSN-HC were also in attendance.

Rich Lang participated for the third year and was joined by his daughter, Erin Lang. Erin Lang has special needs, and the Lang family has benefited from their association with Parent to Parent FSN-HC since their move to Boone two years ago.

“Parent to Parent is so important,” Rich Lang said. “They help families meet and provide community support.”

Because of the support the Lang family has received and the families they met, Rich Lang’s wife, Candice Lang, is working to establish a community for adults with special needs in Boone.

Volunteer Elizabeth Kerley ’10 ’15 and Norma Bouchard, a Parent to Parent FSN-HC employee and beneficiary, echoed Rich Lang’s sentiment.

Kerley said, “Parent to Parent gives families hope and knowledge that they are not alone.”

Kerley was twice employed as a Parent to Parent FSN-HC intern during her time as an Appalachian student — once in 2010 as an undergraduate and again in 2013–14 as a graduate student. She now works at AppHealthCare as a health promotion program manager but makes time each year to volunteer at Spooky Duke and has done so since 2011.

Bouchard works for Parent to Parent FSN-HC as an outreach coordinator for Alleghany, Ashe and Wilkes counties. She is also the mother of a special needs child — her son, Caleb Bouchard.

Caleb Bouchard and his sister, Holly Bouchard, joined their mother at the Spooky Duke event. The family, who moved from New Hampshire to Boone in 2005, connected with Hayes and Parent to Parent FSN-HC ahead of the move.

Norma Bouchard said, “Parent to Parent FSN-HC has never steered me wrong and continues to make our journey through life so much easier.”

Norma Bouchard explained that because Parent to Parent is a national organization, she was aware of its services and contacted the local chapter for help. Parent to Parent FSN-HC connected her with the resources she needed and later recruited her as an employee.

Norma Bouchard added that events like Spooky Duke are about the kids, saying, “It’s great to see them supported.”

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Darbie Segraves, an Appalachian junior majoring in elementary education from Jefferson, holds a sign that tells the story and displays a photo of 12-year-old Sugar Grove resident Melia Haury, who was born with half a heart that is also backward. Haury has undergone three separate open-heart surgeries since age 3, and currently lives with her mom, Karen Haury, in the Levine Children's Hospital in Charlotte. Melia Haury, who was on the transplant list for a new heart since Aug. 16, received her new heart on Oct. 25. Photo by Marie Freeman

A Spooky Duke Hero

Although all of the families served by Parent to Parent FSN-HC are heroes, one child in particular — Melia Haury from Sugar Grove — was named the official Spooky Duke Hero of 2018.

Haury, age 12, was born with half a heart, which is also positioned backward. She underwent three open-heart surgeries before her third birthday and as she has gotten older, her heart function has steadily decreased. She has been on the transplant list for a new heart since Aug. 16.

Haury’s family was introduced to Parent to Parent FSN-HC soon after her birth. Her mother, Karen Haury, said she was thankful to have met Hayes and to learn about the many ways Parent to Parent FSN-HC helps families like hers.

Karen Haury said, “After having a sick baby, I didn’t know what to do or where to turn. Being a part of Parent to Parent has been such a blessing.”

Spooky Duke participants were encouraged to sign up to “run” for Melia Haury. Volunteer Darbie Segraves, an Appalachian junior majoring in elementary education from Jefferson, carried a poster sharing Melia Haury’s photo and story during the Spooky Duke event, encouraging those in attendance to write notes of support that were delivered to Melia Haury.

Melia Haury’s father, Myk Haury, had planned to run the 5K; however, the family learned that Melia Haury would be receiving a new heart on Oct. 25 — days before the event.

Because of its fundraising efforts and events like Spooky Duke, Parent to Parent FSN-HC was able to provide financial assistance to the Haury family as they lived at the Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte and prepared for Meila Haury’s transplant.

Karen Haury said, for her family, Parent to Parent FSN-HC and everyone who participated in Spooky Duke are not just heroes, but superheroes.

Race Results
5K Top Finishers (men)

First place — Eric Vandeford; time: 18:45.
Second place — Ben Killion; time: 21:35.
Third place — Will Kabrich; time: 21:48.1.

5K Top Finishers (women)

First place — Whitney Schutz; time: 21:42.1.
Second place — Kadie York; time: 22:05.0.
Third place — Faith Blume 22.24.2.

10K Top Finishers (men)

First place — Wil Norris; time: 35:44.5.
Second place — Matt LoPiccolo; time: 38:36.0.
Third place — Cole Horine; time: 44:34.5.

10K Top Finishers (women)

First place — Tilda Helgesson; time: 39:44.0.
Second place — Taylor Gupton; time: 41:25.7.
Third place — Emily Curlin; time: 47:58.5.

View the complete Spooky Duke 2018 race results

Event Sponsors

Hair Raisers ($1,000-plus contribution)

  • Dr. Charles R. Duke.
  • Appalachian's Cratis D. Williams School of Graduate Studies.
  • The Health Foundation Inc.

Fang-tastics ($500-plus contribution)

  • App State softball.
  • Go Postal in Boone.
  • AppHealthCare.
  • Mast Farm Inn.
  • Mast General Store.
  • Mountain Works.
  • Ultimate Sound DJ Company.
  • Woof Pack Pet Services.

Jack-o'–lanterns ($250-plus contribution)

  • 4 Forty Four Inc.
  • Charlie’s Auto Parts/NAPA Auto Parts.
  • Coe Realty Co.
  • M&B Printing.
  • Modern Toyota of Boone.
  • Ray’s Weather Center.
  • Rich Summit View Cabin Rental.
  • Skyline-Skybest.
  • Up ‘N Running.
  • Mountain Times.

Skeletons ($100-plus contribution)

  • Appalachian State University Bookstore.
  • Appalachian Ski Mountain.
  • BAYADA Pediatrics.
  • BBQ-Burgers and Brews Restaurant and Tavern.
  • Blue Ridge Energy.
  • Blue Ridge Vision.
  • Boone Drugs Inc.
  • Critcher Brothers Produce Inc.
  • DeWoolfson Down.
  • High Gravity Adventures Zip Line and Aerial Park.
  • New River Building Supply and Lumber Co.
  • Ross Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram.
  • Tweetsie Railroad.
  • Which Wich Superior Sandwiches.
The Health Foundation supports Appalachian’s 2018 Spooky Duke Race and Costume Contest
The Health Foundation supports Appalachian’s 2018 Spooky Duke Race and Costume Contest
April 17, 2018

A $10,000 grant from The Health Foundation Inc. will support the 2018 Spooky Duke Race and Costume Contest organized by Appalachian State University’s Parent to Parent Family Support Network-High Country.

Read the story

About Parent to Parent Family Support Network-High Country

Parent to Parent Family Support Network-High Country (FSN-HC) provides free support, caring connections, information and hope to families who have a premature baby, a child with a disability, an emotional or behavioral challenge, a mental illness or a chronic health condition, and to families who are grieving the death of a child. The program serves seven counties in Western North Carolina: Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Mitchell, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey. Parent to Parent FSN-HC provides information and tools to help families see the possibilities for their children and turn that potential into reality. Learn more at https://parent2parent.appstate.edu.

About the Reich College of Education

Appalachian State University offers one of the largest undergraduate teacher preparation programs in North Carolina, graduating about 500 teachers a year. The Reich College of Education enrolls more than 2,000 students in its bachelor’s, master’s, education specialist and doctoral degree programs, with offerings that span multiple fields — from teacher preparation, counseling, and therapy, to higher education, school and student affairs administration, library science, educational leadership and more. With over 10,000 alumni employed in North Carolina public schools, there is at least one Reich College graduate in every county in the state. Learn more at https://rcoe.appstate.edu.

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.

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Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

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Archives

Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

If you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

  • Podcasts may be found at Appalachian State University Podcasts
  • Stories and press releases published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found in University Communications Records at the Special Collections Research Center.
  • A university-wide Google Calendar may be found at Events at Appalachian
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