Strong Area Health & Dental Center to host 4th annual Pierpole Day 5K

STRONG – Strong’s annual Pierpole Day celebration will take place on Saturday, July 12, 2025. As a part of the celebration, the Strong Area Health & Dental Center will host a fun 5K run/walk event. Don’t miss this family-friendly outdoor activity!

The event course will start and end at the Strong Area Health & Dental Center, 177 North Maine Street, in Strong. The event will begin at 9:00 AM. Those who plan to register on the day of the event should arrive at 8:30 AM. In lieu of a registration fee, please bring a donation of a non-perishable food item for the community pantry. In addition to the run/walk event, we will be distributing fun giveaway items, and a mobile health unit will be onsite to provide health education, kids’ games, and prizes!

Please visit the following RunReg page to pre-register and help our planning committee prepare –

https://www.runreg.com/strong-area-health-center-5k

In thanks for pre-registering, the first 50 registrants who sign up by 6/06 will also be able to order a FREE participation T-shirt!

The Pierpole Day 5K planning committee is also seeking volunteers to help ensure this event is a success for the community. Volunteers are requested to assist from 7:00 AM to 1:00 PM on July 12. This year, we will be providing a volunteer breakfast to kick off the day! Following breakfast, volunteers can help with setup, teardown, and other assorted tasks. If you are interested in volunteering, contact Ayla Haines at ( 207 ) 860 – 8609 or email the health center at Priscilla.Bartlett@HealthReach.org by no later than Friday, June 27.

Finally, for those that are curious – Pierpole Day is an annual event celebrating local Strong heritage and history. The day is named after the Wabanaki (Abenaki/Amaseconti) settler Pierre “Pierpole” Paul. Paul and his wife, Hannah Susup, came to the Strong area in the late 1700s to settle in what was known at the time as Middletown.

Strong Area Health and Dental Center is a part of HealthReach Community Health Centers. HealthReach Community Health Centers — headquartered in Waterville, Maine — is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating twelve family medical practices with the mission of serving the otherwise medically underserved. In 2025, HealthReach proudly marks 50 years of delivering high-quality healthcare to the rural communities of Central and Western Maine since its founding in 1975! HealthReach services include general primary and preventative healthcare, including behavioral, substance use disorder, dental, and podiatric care services. To ensure access for everyone, HealthReach accepts Medicare, MaineCare, and major insurance providers, and there are no eligibility requirements to access care through HealthReach; all are welcome. An Affordable Care Program is available to both uninsured and underinsured people. Assistance is available for applications to programs that help with your healthcare and medication costs, including enrollment support for Maine’s Health Insurance Marketplace.

The above is issued in furtherance of HealthReach Community Health Centers’ federally funded health center project. In 2025, HealthReach is projected to receive $4,436,654 in federal assistance, which is estimated as constituting 12% of project costs. Of total project costs for 2025, HealthReach estimates 88% to be financed with non-governmental sources.

The contents above are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent the official views of or an endorsement by, HRSA, DHHS, or the U.S. Government.

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