Despite the groundhog’s recent prognostication of six more weeks of winter, the Hoboken Harriers are gearing up for their sixth annual end-of-winter festive fundraiser, the Snow Ball, which will take place at the Elk’s Club in Hoboken on Saturday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m.
All proceeds from the Snow Ball will benefit the Jubilee Family Life Center (an education and training center in the Hoboken projects) and United Cerebral Palsy of Hudson County. Along with scrumptious Cuban comestibles from La Isla restaurant, the Snow Ball will feature live music by the Hoboken singer/songwriter Patrick Fleming and Jersey City’s eclectic quintet Blue Number 9.
Who are the HOHAs?
For idle folks who might not be acquainted with an organization dedicated to athletics, the Hoboken Harriers is the mile-square-city’s official running club. Also known as HOHA, the Harriers was founded in 1988 by then-Hoboken resident Paul Peacock. Today, HOHA is comprised of approximately 100 athletes of varying abilities, from marathon racers who boast seven-minute miles to recreational joggers who enjoy a lope-like gait. The club organizes seven runs a week, ranging from a quick 2.5-miler on Tuesday nights to eight-mile runs on the weekends. Recently, the Harriers added a 3.5 Wednesday morning run to their schedule. The early bird run begins at the fountain of Pier A Park at 7 a.m.
According to HOHA veteran Ian Rintel, when the weather is nice on a given night, approximately 25 people show up.
Despite its name, however, the Harriers is not all about exercise. On Tuesday and Thursday nights, the group usually goes out for a couple of pints of beer after the run. And they also throw this annual end-of-winter bash.
"Last year, everyone I know had much more fun at the Snow Ball than they typically have in Hoboken on a Saturday night," Rintel said last week. "For one thing, the space is big, and while we had almost 200 people, it was not crowded. And unlike other local pub crawls, where the bars make more money than the charity, our charities get all the profits from both ticket sales and drinks."
The Hoboken Harriers’ sixth annual "Snowball" will be held at the Elks Club (1005 Washington St., Hoboken) on Saturday, Feb. 23. The party starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15. The ticket price covers dinner, live music and one drink. Additional drinks are only $2. All proceeds benefit the Jubilee Family Life Center and United Cerebral Palsy of Hudson County. For more information, visit the Harriers’ web site at www.hoha.net. q