Another Roger Carroll Mural and the Great Goblin Gallop 5K

While looking up information on muralist Roger Carroll, I found a link to an archived WDBJ 7 article about how he had also painted murals at Druid Hills Elementary School. I immediately recalled a mural that I saw there when I ran in the 2014 Great Goblin Gallop 5K.  The article said that “he tried to make the indoors appear like they’re outdoors.  The theory behind that is if the children feel less confined, feel good about where they’re at, they’ll just naturally do better.”

Druid Hills is the name of one of the neighborhoods in Martinsville that, along with its neighboring community of Forest Park is known for relatively pricier homes surrounding a private community lake called Lake Lanier.  The annual Great Goblin Gallop is put on by Henry County Parks and the run really is beautiful. 

Runners gather at the registration desk at Druid Hills Elementary School and the run loops around Lake Lanier.  The Druid Hills community butts up to one side of Lake Lanier and the Forest Park community butts up the other.

Lake Lanier is iconic for Martinsville.  The boat house is a favorite for photographers and residents alike.

When I ran it in 2014, it was earlier in the month and the leaves were falling. It was exceptionally beautiful.

I was also surprised by fresh pumpkin pie at the finish.

This year, the Goblin Gallop is scheduled for October 28th at 10 AM. Click on the graphic below to go to their event page on Facebook. If you decide to run it, start slow.  The start is downhill and can set you up for an unsustainable pace for the rest of the run.

For more information on the Goblin Gallop or racing in Martinsville in general, check out:

• Miles in Martinsville (Running Club)
• Henry County Parks & Recreation

For more information on Forest Park and Druid Hills, check out the local MLS service.  I’ll warn you now that the prices will seem unbelievable for folks from larger metropolitan areas. These are beautiful neighborhoods, host to Garden Club home tours and quiet living.  Some of the homes are truly grand and we have taken several out-of-town guests down Mulberry Street, which runs through the heart of Forest Park, to ogle at the beautiful homes there.

• Forest Park (today’s search reflects list prices from $89,900 to $995,000)
• Druid Hills (today’s search reflects list prices from $69,900 to $234,900)

If you like the results of those searches, check out Chatmoss. Today’s search reflects list prices from $74,900 to $694,900.