Rural Hall Area Business Association
The RHABA is moving in a wonderful and exciting direction. If you have never been to an RHABA meeting, please come and join us and be a part of the excitement – as this is a direct link to our community, colleagues, and local government. First-time business visitors and members eat free!
The Basics:
The Rural Hall Area Business Association (RHABA) is made up of local businesses seeking to work together with town officials to improve the business, civic, and educational environment for our workers, citizens, and patrons. If you own or manage a local business, the RHABA is a great opportunity to interact with other local businesses and give back to your community. If you’re not familiar with the Rural Hall Area Business Association (RHABA), you should check out what they can do for you!
The Rural Hall Area Business Association (RHABA) is made up of local businesses seeking to work together with town officials to improve the business, civic, and educational environment for our workers, citizens, and patrons. If you own or manage a local business, the RHABA is a great opportunity to interact with other local businesses and give back to your community. If you’re not familiar with the Rural Hall Area Business Association (RHABA), you should check out what they can do for you!
The RHABA meetings provide a relaxed setting in which the business community, as well as local officials, can network and congregate with one another. The RHABA normally meets on the third Tuesday of each month at Mayflower Seafood Restaurant at 12:30PM. Each meeting consists of an organized program and/or guest speaker. Feel free to join us sometime! Cost is $15 for nonmembers and FREE for members! That’s right – if you join the RHABA as a member, you only pay a one-time membership fee (no hassle with paying for your lunch each time you attend a meeting)!
How To Become A Member!
To become a member of the Rural Hall Area Business Association, just complete a Membership Dues form and return it with payment. Click 2024 Membership Renewal Form Membership Renewal Form to find the RHABA membership form, which will explain the pricing and will show the address to send your membership check to. If any questions, please contact Alston Brown at the Town of Rural Hall at 336-969-6856.
To become a member of the Rural Hall Area Business Association, just complete a Membership Dues form and return it with payment. Click 2024 Membership Renewal Form Membership Renewal Form to find the RHABA membership form, which will explain the pricing and will show the address to send your membership check to. If any questions, please contact Alston Brown at the Town of Rural Hall at 336-969-6856.
MEMBERSHIP DUES (Annual One-Time Fee)
All member dues and guest fees include monthly meal cost (12 meetings per year)
Individual, Employee, or Business Owner Membership: $140 per year (cash or check) / $145 per year (credit card) (Member paying their own dues without reimbursement by employer) (Non-profit & Charity Rate)
All member dues and guest fees include monthly meal cost (12 meetings per year)
Individual, Employee, or Business Owner Membership: $140 per year (cash or check) / $145 per year (credit card) (Member paying their own dues without reimbursement by employer) (Non-profit & Charity Rate)
Business Paid or Reimbursed Membership: $190 per year (cash or check) / $195 per year (credit card)
(Member’s dues paid by employer directly or employer is reimbursing)
(Additional Business Memberships: $140 per year)
(Member’s dues paid by employer directly or employer is reimbursing)
(Additional Business Memberships: $140 per year)
*Non-Member Meals/Guest of RHABA Member Fee: $15 per meeting
History
RHABA was founded in 1988 and the first president was Bill Ogburn. The following people were instrumental in founding and establishing the RHABA: Bill Gribble, Tommy Griggs, Jim Helsabeck, Frank James, Bill Ogburn and Durward Smith. As the business community of Rural Hall continued to grow, the founders of RHABA wanted an opportunity to get to know the business community better as well as create an avenue of communication between the business community and the local government. The RHABA created just that – a voice for the business community and a relaxed and organized setting in which the business community and local officials could network and congregate with one another.
Purpose
RHABA was organized for the advancement of the commercial, industrial, cultural, educational, civic and general interest of the Town of Rural Hall, North Carolina and its people and the surrounding region; the promotion of just and equitable principles in business; and to acquire, preserve and distribute industrial, commercial, civic and personal statistics and information regarding the Town of Rural Hall and its surrounding region, its facilities and its residents.
The RHABA typically holds meetings with guest speakers and/or an organized program, with topics of interest to the business community. The RHABA also hosts special events, such as an annual summer “Picnic in the Park” at Covington Memorial Park, hosted by the Town of Rural Hall, and the annual 10K/5K “Flat & Fast” Road Race in October through the heart of the Rural Hall community. The RHABA has adopted Rural Hall Elementary School as its major charity and all proceeds from the annual road race go to RHES.
Flat & Fast Rural Hall 5K & 10K
Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025 will be the 18th running of the Flat & Fast Rural Hall 10K and the 9th running of the Flat & Fast Rural Hall 5K. Both races are USATF certified race courses. Stay tuned for more details.
This is the 18th running of this event and as usual, all race proceeds benefit the Rural Hall Elementary School. Both the 5K & 10K are USA Track & Field certified with a gun start and chip timing for accurate results. The 10K starts at 8am with the 5K at 8:15am to allow couples or friends to arrive together and run the same or different races with a common starting and finish line. Our 5K is perfect for younger runners, walkers wanting to support the school, families including jogging strollers, injured runners or as a recovery race after a tougher summer ordeal due to it being a totally FLAT 5K course! Our 10K is a bit more challenging with three hills at the very front end of the course, but still is relatively flat for this area and boasts some of the best 10K times that many of our runners have accomplished to date! This year will feature Hanes Sport (TM) Cool Dri High Tech moisture wicking shirts rated 50 UPF for UV ray protection for all adult sizes. Youth sizes will be offered in a Hanes soft 50/50 Cotton/Polyester blend. Any questions? Call Jim Smith at 336-406-1569 or email at jamescarltonsmithjr@gmail.com and he will respond to your inquiries as quickly as possible.
Location:
Mayflower Seafood Restaurant Parking Lot, 664 Montroyal Road, Rural Hall, NC 27045 with additional parking next door at Tractor Supply or across the street at Food Lion. Our USAT&F certificated course for the 5K is out and back using a blocked off lane of Hwy 65. The turnaround point is just before Tobaccoville Road. Our USAT&F certified course for the 10K involves two loops, the first of which goes down Forum Parkway to Professional Carpet Systems, where it turns around and returns to Hwy 65 via Old Beltway to Angus Street. The second loop goes down Sommerdale and returrns to Hwy 65 via Runningbrook. That dispenses with the three hills and the rest of the course is totally flat with the turnaround in the Rural Hall Town Hall parking lot and then straight back down Hwy 65 to the Mayflower. All but a few yards of the Hwy 65 course is run in a blocked off lane without having to deal with auto traffic! We station course volunteers at every turn and deputies or firemen at every intersection to give runners the right away over vehicles when possible for best runner times! We regret that we can't accommodate dogs/other animals (except for seeing eye dogs on a harness) since much of the race courses involve two way runner traffic. We have cyclists following the last runner of each race to make sure that every runner returns safely and to let us quickly finalize our award tallies by letting us know when each race has ended.
Mayflower Seafood Restaurant Parking Lot, 664 Montroyal Road, Rural Hall, NC 27045 with additional parking next door at Tractor Supply or across the street at Food Lion. Our USAT&F certificated course for the 5K is out and back using a blocked off lane of Hwy 65. The turnaround point is just before Tobaccoville Road. Our USAT&F certified course for the 10K involves two loops, the first of which goes down Forum Parkway to Professional Carpet Systems, where it turns around and returns to Hwy 65 via Old Beltway to Angus Street. The second loop goes down Sommerdale and returrns to Hwy 65 via Runningbrook. That dispenses with the three hills and the rest of the course is totally flat with the turnaround in the Rural Hall Town Hall parking lot and then straight back down Hwy 65 to the Mayflower. All but a few yards of the Hwy 65 course is run in a blocked off lane without having to deal with auto traffic! We station course volunteers at every turn and deputies or firemen at every intersection to give runners the right away over vehicles when possible for best runner times! We regret that we can't accommodate dogs/other animals (except for seeing eye dogs on a harness) since much of the race courses involve two way runner traffic. We have cyclists following the last runner of each race to make sure that every runner returns safely and to let us quickly finalize our award tallies by letting us know when each race has ended.
Trophies & Awards Galore:
Top 3 male and top 3 female overall in the 5K and again in the 10K win trophies. Olympic Style Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals are then awarded to the following age groups, based on age on race day: (5K only: under age 10, ages 10-14) (10K only: under age 15) Both races: 15-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, and Masters 70+ for a grand total of 162 Awards! We also encourage optional halloween costumes for the 5K and hold a costume judging at the starting line for $50, $30, & $20 cash prizes for the best three costumes. Make sure you plan to stay after your race is completed to cheer the rest of the runners home! And we present our awards in person at our award ceremony following each race, offering a great photo op for your friends and family to capture this celebration with a photo or video on your behalf! We will have plenty of food and music to keep you entertained, while you wait for our awards to be given out!
Top 3 male and top 3 female overall in the 5K and again in the 10K win trophies. Olympic Style Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals are then awarded to the following age groups, based on age on race day: (5K only: under age 10, ages 10-14) (10K only: under age 15) Both races: 15-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, and Masters 70+ for a grand total of 162 Awards! We also encourage optional halloween costumes for the 5K and hold a costume judging at the starting line for $50, $30, & $20 cash prizes for the best three costumes. Make sure you plan to stay after your race is completed to cheer the rest of the runners home! And we present our awards in person at our award ceremony following each race, offering a great photo op for your friends and family to capture this celebration with a photo or video on your behalf! We will have plenty of food and music to keep you entertained, while you wait for our awards to be given out!
Water Stations and Food and More:
The 5K features two passes by our water station at Hawthorne at the Hall apartments and the 10K mirrors that with a third water station in the Rural Hall Town Hall parking lot. A water bottle is also given to every runner as they reach the finish line. Krispy Kreme doughnuts, chocolate milk, cookies, bananas, apples, grapes, gatoraide, and many more yummy treats await our runners and course volunteers at our finish line Food Tent. Clean restrooms are available inside the Mayflower, where registration is held and porta-johns are available at the start/finish line as well. Our own Piedmont Cheering Hearts senior cheer leaders squad will greet you at the finish line along with crowds of enthusiastic spectators & parents & course volunteers. Our DJ is on site to spin tunes before, during, and after the race to keep everyone energized!
The 5K features two passes by our water station at Hawthorne at the Hall apartments and the 10K mirrors that with a third water station in the Rural Hall Town Hall parking lot. A water bottle is also given to every runner as they reach the finish line. Krispy Kreme doughnuts, chocolate milk, cookies, bananas, apples, grapes, gatoraide, and many more yummy treats await our runners and course volunteers at our finish line Food Tent. Clean restrooms are available inside the Mayflower, where registration is held and porta-johns are available at the start/finish line as well. Our own Piedmont Cheering Hearts senior cheer leaders squad will greet you at the finish line along with crowds of enthusiastic spectators & parents & course volunteers. Our DJ is on site to spin tunes before, during, and after the race to keep everyone energized!
Early Packet Pick-Up:
For those pre-registering prior to 6pm on Wednesday, October 22, is available from noon to 5pm on Thursday, Oct 23, and from 9am to 4pm on Friday, Oct 24, at AgSouth Farm Credit, 340 Bethania-Rural Hall Rd, Rural Hall, NC and rapid packet pickup is available on race day in front of the Mayflower Seafood Restaurant in Rural Hall, NC. Walk up registration on race day opens at 6:15am on race day and those pre-registering after 6pm on Wednesday, October 23 will find their shirts, bib numbers, and packet of other goodies inside the Mayflower at the Walk Up Registration Desk even though you are pre-registered. Race day registration is also possible online and at our walk-up registration desk inside the Mayflower.
For those pre-registering prior to 6pm on Wednesday, October 22, is available from noon to 5pm on Thursday, Oct 23, and from 9am to 4pm on Friday, Oct 24, at AgSouth Farm Credit, 340 Bethania-Rural Hall Rd, Rural Hall, NC and rapid packet pickup is available on race day in front of the Mayflower Seafood Restaurant in Rural Hall, NC. Walk up registration on race day opens at 6:15am on race day and those pre-registering after 6pm on Wednesday, October 23 will find their shirts, bib numbers, and packet of other goodies inside the Mayflower at the Walk Up Registration Desk even though you are pre-registered. Race day registration is also possible online and at our walk-up registration desk inside the Mayflower.