MIFFLINBURG -- With an entire day of celebration, which includes a chicken barbecue, a tennis tournament and capped by fireworks, the Mifflinburg Fourth of July celebration continue to grow.

The jump start for the festivities is the 5K Fourth of July Run, which will celebrate its 26th year when the gun sounds at 9 this morning.

And while competition is obviously at the heart of the event, a lot more goes into it according to organizers.

"For the community," Don Bowman, the chair of the race committee, said, "it becomes an opportunity to compete in the run, but also an opportunity to reunite with old friends."

The race started 26 years ago when Tom Muchler, a runner himself, decided to organize a race to bring people in the community together on the holiday. Since the first year of the race, it has grown beyond just being a running competition and formed into a way to get people ready for the Fourth of July celebration.

The growth can be seen in the number of participants entered each year. The original race had 125 entries while more than 500 runners are ready to test their endurance this morning.

Muchler continued to serve as the race director until his passing in May of 2002. Now under the direction of Bowman, the race continues to act as a way to bring the community to together.

"It's a good opportunity to reconnect with people," Bowman said. "It's a chance to get with people that you haven't seen. It provides an opportunity for people to just have fun."

The event continues to show signs of growing as 502 people have registered for the race. That's doesn't take into account the amount of people that will register prior to the event this morning.

Along with the adult competition, the committee has continued the tradition of running two age groups of kids in their own race. The first race is for kids six and under and the final race of the morning is for kids 8-10 years of age.

"We had 135 kids last year," Bowman said. "It far exceeded anything we have had. We want to stress the participation level. We want kids to follow their parents and run."

With the proceeds of the race being pumped right back into next year's Independence Day celebration, the Mifflinburg 4th of July Committee will continue to help the day grow.

"We listen to the runners and their suggestions for improvements," Bowman said of the race. "One improvement we have made is eliminating parking along Walnut Street to give the runners more room."

With improvements coming every year and the race's continued growth, the Mifflinburg 4th of July 5K run looks to be a staple in the small community's celebration for years to come.

Notes: The run will open a whole day of events with a tennis tournament, events in the park including a pet parade, children's games, food, an afternoon chicken barbecue, bingo, and an evening concert which ends with the fireworks.