"It's incredible to see how the community continues to rally around this cause. Every step we take honors someone who gave everything for others—and every donation helps a family heal."
Naima Thomas said that to KeysNews after the second Tunnel to Towers 5K Run & Walk at Big Pine Community Park. The race is back on Saturday, Nov. 21. This year Monroe County is putting its America 250 evening on the same park lawn the night before. The program includes a traveling 9/11 museum, the U.S. Army Golden Knights and a drone show.
On its own America 250 page, Monroe County describes the Friday program as "the night before the 5K run." The run started in 2024, two years before the county planned its anniversary night here, and a Big Pine family started it.
The Run Came First
Herve Thomas was a Monroe County Fire Rescue firefighter and EMT who lived on Big Pine Key. According to KeysNews, he had served the county since 2009 and helped with the island's recovery after Hurricane Irma. He died while on duty at Station 8 on Stock Island.
His daughter, Naima Thomas, and her mother, Nicole Gerrard, proposed a local Tunnel to Towers 5K in his honor. Planning started in early 2024. A letter in Keys Weekly says more than 200 runners and walkers came to the first race at Big Pine Community Park that November, including Monroe County Fire Rescue runners in full gear.
The second year was bigger. KeysNews reported that the 2025 race raised more than $17,000. More than $10,000 of that came from the Monroe County Local 3909 Professional Firefighters, out of their union dues. The same story lists local supporters, including the Lower Keys Rotary, Sunset Rotary, SeaCamp, Keys Vineyard Church, Centennial Bank, the City of Key Colony Beach, the Key West Aquarium and Pops Barbeque.
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation was created in memory of Stephen Siller, an FDNY firefighter. On Sept. 11, 2001, he put on his gear and ran through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to the Twin Towers. The foundation provides mortgage-free homes and financial help to the families of fallen first responders and military service members, and to catastrophically injured veterans.
How Friday Night Lines Up With Saturday Morning
The county held a matching America 250 night at Founders Park in Islamorada on Wednesday, Nov. 18. Only the Big Pine Key night has a race the next morning, and the two schedules overlap on purpose. Runners pick up their packets at the park on Friday from 5 to 7 p.m., which falls inside the celebration's 5 to 8 p.m. window. The race page tells runners to get their packets, eat at Pops BBQ, and stay for the Golden Knights, the exhibit and the drone show. Pops BBQ is giving 10% of its proceeds to the foundation.
Here's how the weekend fits together:
| Date | Time | What's happening | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 20 | 2 to 5:30 p.m. | 9/11 NEVER FORGET Mobile Exhibit open to the public | Big Pine Key Community Park |
| Fri., Nov. 20 | 5 to 7 p.m. | 5K packet pickup | Big Pine Key Community Park |
| Fri., Nov. 20 | 5 to 8 p.m. | America 250 celebration with Golden Knights and drone show | Big Pine Key Community Park |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | 7 a.m. | Race-day registration and bib pickup open | Big Pine Key Community Park |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | 9 a.m. | Tunnel to Towers 5K Run & Walk | Starts near the park and finishes inside it |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. | 9/11 exhibit open to the public | Big Pine Key Community Park |
The 9 a.m. start time comes from the county's America 250 page and the race's registration page. Organizers take questions at [email protected].
What Arrives in an 83-Foot Trailer
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation's 9/11 NEVER FORGET Mobile Exhibit marks the 25th anniversary of the attacks. It arrives as an 83-foot tractor-trailer and opens into a 1,100-square-foot museum. Inside are multimedia presentations and artifacts recovered from Ground Zero, including World Trade Center steel, pieces of the marble lobby floor and sections of the building's aluminum facade. Retired New York City firefighters and first responders who served at Ground Zero lead the tours.
The U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team is bringing an 18-person aerial demonstration. A patriotic drone show closes the evening. The Monroe County Tourist Development Council is sponsoring the events, with support from the Monroe County Sheriff's Office. Monroe County School District middle schools are also scheduled to tour the exhibit.
In the county's announcement, republished by the Key West Chamber of Commerce, Monroe County Mayor Michelle Lincoln said the events "bring our community together to celebrate our country, honor our military and first responders, and help younger generations understand why we must never forget the events of Sept. 11." The anniversary year has kept coming back to this park. In May, the county held a Murph Workout here honoring Navy SEAL Michael P. Murphy, with donations going to the Key West Military Affairs Committee. Its kickoff paddleboard proclamation was at Old Wooden Bridge Marina, also on Big Pine Key.
Saturday's 5K, by the Details
Here's what the race registration page lists for runners and walkers:
- Distance and course: 5K, or 3.1 miles. The course is flat and closed to traffic. It starts near the park, loops through the surrounding neighborhoods and finishes back in the park. Part of the route is uneven.
- Fees: $40 for adults, $30 for first responders and military, $25 for ages 13 to 17, and $15 for ages 12 and under.
- Race-day registration: Every category except first responders pays $10 more on race day, and T-shirt sizes aren't guaranteed for late sign-ups.
- What you can bring: Strollers and wheelchairs are allowed, and so are firefighter turnout gear and military backpacks. Leave valuables in your vehicle.
- Water: There's one water station on the course and more water at the start and finish.
- Parking: Park at the community park. Overflow goes on neighboring streets, and the race asks people not to park in driveways or on private property.
Most of the awards go to firefighters, police and military who run in gear, the way Siller did. First responders and military line up at the front of the start, ahead of the fastest runners.
The Park Under All of It
Big Pine Key Community Park is at 31009 Atlantis Dr. Monroe County's facility page lists a skate park, a community center, a playground, baseball and soccer fields, and courts for tennis, bocce, shuffleboard, handball and basketball. There's also a roller-hockey rink, a fitness trail and walking track, restrooms and parking. Leashed pets are allowed. With all that open lawn, the park can handle a parachute landing zone, a museum on wheels and a 5K start line in one weekend.
Six Days Earlier, the Flea Market Opens
The weekend before, on Saturday, Nov. 14, the Big Pine Key Flea Market at 30250 Overseas Highway opens its season. The market says it has fully renovated its bathrooms, put up new tents and canopies for all seasonal vendors, and improved the grounds since last season. The fish fry is back, too. The food vendor list includes the Big Pine Key Famous Fish Fry, Johnny Coconuts, mini donuts, homemade French pastries, fresh produce and Amy's Ice Cream. Seasonal vendor rentals run from Nov. 14, 2026, through April 25, 2027. The market's website has the weekly hours.
After that come the Friday celebration and the Saturday race, both at the community park on Atlantis Drive.
Our team at Island Welcome Real Estate works from Overseas Highway just down the road on Summerland Key. Big Pine weekends like this one are part of the Lower Keys we love showing people. If you're planning to bring family to the exhibit or run the 5K, and you have questions about the Lower Keys while they're here, we're happy to help. Start Your Island Search with us.
