Photos courtesy of Kiwanis Club of Dublin
This isn’t your grandparents’ game of leapfrog.
Or, maybe it is. The Dublin Kiwanis Frog Jump is celebrating its 50th year. To commemorate the milestone, Kiwanis Club of Dublin is inviting parents and grandparents who participated in the Frog Jump years ago to relive their childhoods.
Clay Rose, treasurer of Dublin Kiwanis Club and longtime co-chairman of the Frog Jump, says often, parents and grandparents who participated in the Jump as children bring their youngsters to the event. The race is typically for ages 13 and under.
“This year, we would like give the parents and grandparents one more time to race frogs,” Rose says.
Kiwanis Dublin has been around since 1961, and the Frog Jump nearly as long.
“To the best of our knowledge, this frog jump is the oldest local festival that’s also a fundraising event,” says Rose. “We really think that’s cool.”
Last year, the Frog Jump raised between $2,000 to $3,000 for local charities the Dublin Area Food Pantry, KidSMILES and the Thornton-McBride Scholarship Fund.
The Food Pantry and Thornton-McBride Scholarship fund have been beneficiaries for many years, says Rose. They are also close to the hearts of Dublin Kiwanis club members.
“The scholarship fund was founded by one of our former members,” Rose says. “When he passed away, he left us a stipend of $30,000 to fund the scholarship.”
Kiwanis Dublin offers three $1,000 Thornton-McBride scholarships annually to local Key Club members (the high school level of Kiwanis).
“With the proceeds from the Jump, we’re able to put that money back into the scholarship fund,” says Rose.
As for the food pantry, Rose says that Dublin Kiwanis members are active volunteers. “We as a club work once a month at the food pantry, helping with our presence, assisting on open pantry night.”
The club raises money via the Frog Jump by sending out offers to local businesses, asking for sponsorship at levels ranging from $50 to $500. The club hires inflatable rides, raising money by charging $1 per ride. There are also food concessions, which bring a small commission.
The club also sells $1 tickets for kids to participate in the race. The ticket price even includes the rental of a frog, if the child hasn’t brought his or her own. “A small percentage do bring their own frog,” says Rose.
The week leading up to the Jump, some dedicated Kiwanis Club members are tasked with catching the frogs. “We have a few members who make it their purpose in life to catch all of the frogs, 400 to 500,” Rose says, adding that the frogs are kept in tanks and returned to their homes the same day as the race.
The atmosphere during the race is, according to Rose, “a little bit crazy.”
“There’s yelling, there’s pounding on the ground beside the frog. It’s not a quiet, pristine little golf type atmosphere,” says Rose. “It’s a family-friendly, fun event. We’re very proud of it.”
Jessica Williams is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at hbealer@cityscenecolumbus.com.
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