5K Run/Walk benefit set for April 29
Mar. 16—KENDALLVILLE — Noble Trails, Inc.'s 5K Run/Walk to benefit construction of the Fishing Line Trail in Noble County. That event is coming up on Saturday, April 29.
Registration is open now at www.nobletrails.org, and the cost is $35 per person. Everyone who registers by April 13 will get a free T-shirt on the day of the event. Online registration closes at noon April 28, and then participants can still register in person the morning of the event.
Check in/Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. April 29. The race kicks off at 9 a.m., and walkers will follow right after the runners. Prizes will be given for the top 3 times in the male and female categories.
This annual event support the construction of paved trails to connect communities throughout Noble County, a news release stated. In 2023, these projects include:
—Connecting the Gene Stratton-Porter section to the Trail to the previous Limberlost Golf Course section of the trail to eliminate the need to travel on CR900N. This will improve the safety of those who use the Trail in that area and the connection of Rome City to Kendallville will be completed."
—Creating a mile of paved trail from the southwest corner of Ind. 3 and 1000 E (Allen Chapel Road) to the north side of Avilla on West Wind Trail near Ley Street. This section will follow the previous Grand Rapids and Indiana railroad bed. This project will be possible with the cooperation and generosity of AEP/I&M and Granite Ridge Builders as well as support from residents of the Avilla community and others. This Avilla section will stand alone for a bit, as the trail board works to acquire land from Kendallville to the Ind. 3 and 1000 E intersection to connect it. Land prep has already begun.
—Linking the Fishing Line Trail to a Rome City trail system and continuing north toward LaGrange. Rome City, in partnership with Noble Trails, applied for and received a 2022 Next Level Trails Grant. These funds will allow Rome City to pick up the trail from where it currently ends at Gaff Park. The town's section will continue through Rome City and over the dam, where Noble Trails will continue north. The Noble Trails section will cross Ind. 9 at Sylvan Cellars with the help of a HAWK beacon (High-Intensity Activated crossWalK beacon). This pedestrian-activated device will stop traffic and allow pedestrians and cyclists to cross the highway safely. Future plans for the trail include continuing north to Wolcottville, but more land acquisition is needed before that happens.
