According to Main Street board member
and 5K committee chair Tracy Welch, the day will begin with the 5K,
but there will also be other activities, such as vendors for a
community health fair, and hours and hours of live entertainment on
the square. Welch said some
may think the event got its name from the downtown car cruise-ins,
but in fact this event is about an entirely different kind of
cruise.
And there will be two big
giveaways: a week at the Biggest Loser Resort in Chicago and an
ocean cruise.
Anyone age 18 and older who
registers to participate in the 5K will be eligible to win the
cruise, listed as a $500 value.
Anyone age 14 and older in
attendance at the event will be eligible to win a week's stay at the
resort. Welch said the week at the resort is a buy-one, get-one-free
promotion for a new resort in Chicago. For those who are fans of the
television show "Biggest Loser," you will know that there is a
Biggest Loser Resort on the West Coast. The company that owns it is
expanding to Chicago, and the week's stay is a $2,500 value, or 50
percent off the cost of a stay for two.
When asked how the committee
managed to get the resort stay, he said, "You'll be surprised what
can happen when you send an email." Welch said he and his wife,
Annette, are big fans of "The Biggest Loser" television show. On the
show, the contestants participate at the Biggest Loser Resort in
California. Welch said he'd learned that another resort was going to
open in Chicago, so he sent an email and asked them to donate to the
Lincoln event. They responded that they were not able to give away a
free trip, but they would give a buy-one, get-one-free.
In addition to the prizes and the
run, there will also be vendors on hand to discuss their products
and your health. Welch said he is still trying to work out the
details right now on who will be there, but he is optimistic that
there will be several when the big day arrives.
The downtown portion of the city
will be blocked off for the daylong party that will take place
during and after the race. Welch said the Railsplitter Auto Club has
been invited to come for a special cruise-in, and there will be live
music the entire day.
Among those on the stage will be
Erin Eskra Vargo and Mike Vargo. Some will remember Erin as part of
a sister duo who have performed at events in Lincoln in the past.
Welch said both sisters were not available, but Erin said she would
come with husband Mike, who is also a professional musician. The
Vargos now live in Nashville and are developing their careers in the
music profession.
Julia Kay Rhodes is another
powerful songstress who will grace the downtown stage. From the
Chicago area, Rhodes has been on several nationally televised shows,
such as "Nashville Spotlight," "Seven on Ridge" with Michael Essany,
"Today's Talent Network" and "American Kids Nationals."
Others who are scheduled to
entertain are musicians Joe Borbely and Greg Gemberling, and of
course in Lincoln, you can't have a party without a little
bluegrass. The Blue Grass Pickers who entertained at last year's
Railsplitter Festival will be on hand to offer some of their best
stylings.
In addition to all this, there will
be a special guest in attendance. Joe Briseno will address the
audience. Briseno is a 5K runner who recently found himself in
Boston during that very tragic event.
Main Street is also encouraging
local retailers to have special sales that day and to set up
sidewalk sales to draw attendees toward their stores.
Welch also said that of all the
things visitors will find on the downtown square, food vendors are
the one thing they won't find.
For the runners there will be food
at the Oasis Senior Center, but he hopes that everyone who attends
will take the time to visit the local restaurants on the downtown
square. There are several eateries on the square and just off the
square, including Guzzardo's, Hallie's, Mama's Arcade, Sorrento's
and Vintage Fare.
Welch also explained that for the
serious runners, the committee has made arrangements for "chips" for
their shoes. These chips accurately measure the time of the run.
Welch said this is important because serious runners are always
working to improve their time, and this record helps them see their
progress.
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The committee is also offering some
special incentives for school groups to participate. With the help
of wife Annette, Welch said they have sent out special registration
forms to the area schools. Kids are encouraged to register for the
5K, and if they do so on the special form for their school, the
school will receive $5 for each entry.
And finally, Welch said they are
hoping for some serious public participation at the end of the run.
As a runner himself, Welch said it is really encouraging to see a
crowd of people cheering the runners at the end of the race.
The organization also has plans for
several future events, some of them familiar from the past, some new
and some restructured.
The Art of Wine this year at the
Lincoln Art & Balloon Festival is going to be revamped and will be
the Art of Wine and Brew. Welch said they will have more details on
that later, as well as on a new event in October that is right now
being called "Lincoln in Lincoln -- 1858." Trick or Treat with the
Mayor is scheduled for Oct. 26 this year.
And there is going to be an annual
Christmas parade. Welch said that Main Street director Bill Hoagland
is hoping to breathe a little new life into the parade, and we
should all look forward to hearing more about that later. Also,
there will still be Saturdays with Santa in December.
___
5K route
The city has agreed to allow for
North Kickapoo to be closed to traffic when the runners get there.
Welch said he would love to see both sides of the street from
Lincoln Avenue to Broadway lined with spectators cheering on their
favorite runners, or all the runners in general.
The race will begin near the
intersection of Kickapoo and Pulaski streets and head south on
Kickapoo. At Frorer Avenue runners will turn left. At Bryant Avenue
they will turn right and take the curve onto Comet. From Comet they
will proceed to Home Avenue and take a left. Shortly afterward will
be their first checkpoint.
Runners will then proceed northward
on Home to Wyatt and take another right turn onto Wyatt. They will
pass the Odd Fellows home, where the Y and Christian Child Care are
located, and run onto South Ladue, where they will turn left. They
will take South Ladue all the way to Pekin Street and turn left onto
Pekin. They will then proceed onto North Elliott Street, where they
will find their second checkpoint. They will then take North Elliott
northward to Tremont Street, where they will turn left. They will
stay on Tremont to South Sherman and then make another right turn.
When they reach Lincoln Avenue,
they will turn left again and proceed to North Kickapoo Street. They
will turn left on Kickapoo and proceed southward toward the downtown
square. The third checkpoint will be at the southwest corner of
Latham Park. From there everyone will run or walk the home stretch
to the finish line, just beyond the Kickapoo and Broadway
intersection.
This is the first year that the
Main Street organization has done a 5K, and Welch said their only
real goal here is to raise the traffic level in the downtown area.
The purpose of the Main Street organization is to bring shoppers to
the city's historic downtown area, to help keep the downtown a
living and vital part of the community.
___
Main Street now has a separate
website for its Lincoln events. You can access the website to read
more about the 5K, as well as other events as they progress. You can
visit that website at
http://www.mainstreetlincolnevents.com/.
[By NILA SMITH] |