Andover girl killed in tragic crash honored before Feaster Five Thanksgiving Road Race
ANDOVER - Sidney Olson, the 5-year-old girl who was hit and killed by a truck in Andover earlier this year, was honored at the annual Feaster Five Road Race on Thanksgiving morning.
Earlier this year, the Sidney Mae Olson Rainbow Fund announced a partnership with the popular holiday road race. The children's annual race was renamed Sidney's Rainbow Run. Dozens of boys and girls ran the short course before the Feaster Five Thursday morning.
Sidney was hit by a tractor-trailer in a crosswalk on Elm Street while walking to an art class with her mother, brother, and cousin on May 9. The driver stopped and cooperated with police. Last week, the Essex County District Attorney announced that no criminal charges would be filed against the driver.
Sidney has been remembered by rainbows because "she decided to have a rainbow [birthday] party that would include all the favorite colors for friends and her grandparents," her mother, Mary Beth Ellis, told WBZ-TV last week.
Ellis and Sidney's father, Eric Olson, said running brought their daughter joy. They hope the annual run will celebrate her spirit and bring more kids into the sport.
"We're so happy to be here. Sidney would have loved this. She would have loved all the rainbows. She would love running as fast as she could and she would love just making this the best day ever and so were going to do that in her honor," Ellis told WBZ Thursday.
For more information about the Sidney Mae OIson Rainbow Fund, visit their website.
