This Saturday Auburn’s Iron Horse Casino hosts its inaugural Fun in the Sun Run at Auburn Memorial Stadium.

The event, a 5K run around the track, raises money to build a new playground area for Dick Scobee Elementary.

According to Ryan Cites, organizer and the casino’s food and beverage manager, the inspiration for the event came after he and the rest of the staff hosted a Christmas fundraiser for Scobee students.

“In the winter we adopted about 40 kids and had them make a wish list of things they needed and wanted,” Cites said. “Our employees had those lists filled in about three days.

“We wanted to do something for the summer also,” Cites continued. “So we talked with Adam Couch, the principal, about what we could do.”

At first, the plan was to raise money to build the school a new track, but Couch suggested that a new playground area might be a better idea.

Goal in mind, Cites and his crew jumped into action and, voila, this Saturday will host the Fun in the Sun Run.

“It will start at 9 a.m. with the 5K, which is about 10 laps,” Cites said. “After, we’ll have a free BBQ for the runners and their families. We settled on a $5 a person entry, but donations are accepted as well.”

For Cites, an Auburn native, picking Scobee was no random draw.

“The reason we wanted to do Dick Scobee was that my best friend since I was three or four, Brandon Harney, went there,” Cites said. “He was killed by a car in 2000.

“And we wanted to do something for the community,” Cites added. “We try to be as socially postitive as we canm and we have a lot of people working there who really want to help out.”

The Fun in the Sun Run begins at 9 a.m. this Saturday at Auburn Memorial Stadium.

To register, make a donation, or for more informationm contact Ryan Cites at ryan.cites@gmail.com.