Track and field event set May 31
The Hershey Track and Field event, an annual competition, will be at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 31, at Washington High School, 73rd and Leavenworth Road. Those who are age 14 and younger may participate in the free track event. They may be in three events. Those who are 9-14 may qualify for the state Hershey Track meet. To pre-register, visit local community recreation centers. Registration also will be at the event, beginning at 8 a.m.
Church plans 5k run-walk and block party today
New Bethel Church, 745 Walker Ave., is sponsoring a Family 101: 5k run-walk and Kids Miracle Mile Run from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Saturday, May 31. The free event starts and ends at New Bethel Church.
Celebrities from the metro area are expected to participate, including representatives from the Harlem Globetrotters, television personnel, Kansas City Chiefs cheerleaders and others.
The walk focuses on the basics of family, unity, health, education and building a stronger community. Persons may register for the 5k run-walk at www.newbethelkc.org or www.nbcdc.org.
After the 5k, there will be a community cookout and block party from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 745 Walker Ave., Kansas City, Kan. It will include free health screenings by health care professionals, free food, games, races, contests, horseback riding, hamster bowling, face painting, dune buggy rides, bounce house, splash slides, and basketball tournaments.
Plan a trip to the ‘Rozarks’ Saturday for a new nature trail opening
What’s like the Ozarks but is in Kansas City, Kan.? One such area is the “Rozarks” in Rosedale.
The Rozarks Nature Trail will hold its grand opening Saturday, May 31, at Mount Marty Park (Rosedale Arch), 35th and Marty, Kansas City, Kan. Events begin at 9 a.m. and last past 1:30 p.m.
More than 170 volunteers have put in 739 hours of work to construct the natural surface trails in the park since September 2013.
The trails are the result of community planning for a healthy neighborhood, and these visions were outlined in the Rosedale Master Plan and Southwest Boulevard-Merriam Lane “Green Corridor” Master Plan, as well as the Unified Government’s Sidewalk and Trails Master Plan.
The event will begin with a trail workday from 9 a.m. to noon. A free community lunch, catered by local business Deco Catering, will follow at noon, and the ribbon-cutting ceremony will be at 1 p.m. Neighbors, volunteers and special guests will participate in a trail walk and bike ride at 1:30 p.m.
The trails were created through a partnership between Rosedale Development Association, Earthriders Trails Association and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kan. They are expected to bring additional visitors to the Rosedale Arch, a memorial to Rosedale veterans constructed in 1924, and provide a car-free environment for walking and biking in the neighborhood. Since 2009, the Rosedale Development Association has been working to create an environment that promotes health and physical activity.
Event sponsors include Lane 4 Property Management, BNIM, Mid-America Regional Council, KC Healthy Kids, and Earthriders Trails Association. Other partners include the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kan., Bike Walk KC and Healthy Communities Wyandotte. This is the final event of Bike Month, a month-long celebration of bicycles that included dozens of events throughout the metro area.
Rozarks T-shirts will be available for purchase for $12 at the event, and proceeds will support ongoing trail development. All food and beverages are free.
For more information, visit www.rosedale.org.