Clad in a feather boa, sporting red sunglasses and a tiara and wearing a skirt made of strips of cloth in fall colors, Amy Melton was ready to take a cold Saturday morning stroll.

She was one of the 154 runners and walkers who ignored the 40-degree weather and came out to run — or walk — the inaugural 5-kilometer Jacob’s Ladder’s Turkey Trot Saturday morning downtown.

Others, like Melton, came dressed in unusual garb.

“They said come in costume, so I figured why not?” she said, adding she usually dresses in unusual outfits to participate in the various walks and runs held in the city. “The tiara is my trademark.”

“We thought this would be a good way to raise money for Jacob’s Ladder,” said Rebecca Busby, teacher/director at Jacob’s Ladder. “It’s a good way for people to come together and enjoy an event for a good cause.” The total amount raised from the fundraiser was unavailable Saturday.

“It’s a good way to get out and get some exercise,” said Rick Smith of Vicksburg, who was participating with his daughter, Carrie, a second-grader at Bowmar Elementary, and their dog, Howie. Carrie, he said, has participated in other local races.

Not far from Smith and his daughter, Michael Brown and Madeline Tarasar were walking up the sloping parking lot at Mutual Credit Union using a different way to warm up. Both were drinking coffee.

“I’m going to try and run the 5K,” Tarsar said. “I ran in the Spooky Sprint (in October) and that was fun. As soon as I got through with it, I signed up for this one.”

“We try to participate in a lot of the events they have downtown,” said Brown, who was there to watch the race. “I participated in Bricks and Spokes. I’d like to see more bicycle events.”

Chris and Lynda Reynolds from Stillwater, Okla., were in town to visit their daughter, Alicia, who is with AmeriCorps, and decided to participate in the run.

“They’re marathoners,” their daughter, who was one of the AmeriCorps workers helping with the race, said, adding she also runs.

“I ran a half-marathon; he ran a full marathon,” Lynda Reynolds said.

“The turnout was better than I expected,” Busby said after the runners left to handle the course. Does that mean there’ll be another Turkey Trot?

“We’ll plan to have another one next year, I hope.”