MINSTER — Come walk for fun, fitness, friendship and food on Saturday, Oct. 17.
Join Ohio Wander Freunde, a Volkswalk Club out of Fairborn, Ohio, for a 5K, 10K or 15K Walk beginning in Four Season Park, Shelter number 2 in Minster.
Start time is between 9 a.m. and noon. Finish is by 3 p.m. There is no better way than on foot to see the fall decorations and colors, enjoy all the sites of Minster, New Bremen and the Miami and Erie Canal. As you meander along, try to imagine canal boats being pulled by draft horses. Back at the shelter, for a small donation, we will cook you a hot dog and s’more.
Start/Finish: Four Seasons Park is at the west end of 7th St., Minster, Ohio. Shelter number 2.
Directions from I-75: Take exit 99, and take state Route 119 to Minster; Right on state Route 66 in Minster; Left on 7th St. to Four Seasons Park; Enter at the first driveway and Shelter number 2 is on the right near the back of the parking lot.
The 5K, or 3.1 mile, trail includes the Canal/Buckeye Trail and the Village of Minster. The 10K, or 6.2 mile, trail is a stroll along the Canal/Buckeye Trail north to New Bremen, a visit to Lock #1N, the Continental Divide of Ohio, and a portion of the Village of New Bremen, with a return to Four Seasons Park. The 15K includes both. It is very acceptable to select the distance you feel you can do comfortably if it is only a few blocks. Volkswalks can also be run. Both trails are suitable for strollers and wagons but may be a challenge for wheelchairs. There will be written directions.
All participants must register and sign a “start card”. This has to be returned when finished. Volkswalking is free. Those who want the stamp assigned to this walk from American Volksport Association (AVA), will pay $3 for the stamp in their Walk and Event Books.
What is a Volkswalk you ask? It is a free walk of a certain distance, mapped out by a Volkswalking Club. The “Volk” meaning folk, in Volkswalking, comes from the German origin of this sport. The philosopy is to walk with friends and family at your own pace for the health of it. American G. I.’s brought it back to the states in the ‘70s. It is world wide and many walkers have done at least one walk in all 88 Ohio counties, every state, upwards of 40 countries and all seven continents including Antarctica. Ohio has eleven clubs. If nothing else, come out and learn more about it.
For more information on this Volkswalk or Volkswalking in general, contact the American Volksport Association, AVA.org. or Carol Yegerlehner, 937-878-8381, [email protected].
