BAXTER VILLAGE BLOG

Did you know that the Baxter Trail Club is hosting the second annual New Year’s Day Trail Run?  We they are and there is a 5K and 13K option this year.  The event will be timed and there will be door prizes – what better way to start off the New Year?  You can contact Mark Van Sickle @ 704-491-0345 or via email at mvansickle5199@gmail.com

Click here to register.

This year we formalized our structure as a Nonprofit Corporation and we are now beginning a fund raising campaign that will ensure our viability as long-term good neighbor! We have 3 primary fund raising activities scheduled for the fall that I am writing to you today seeking your assistance. New Year’s Day Run: On January 1st, we will host our second annual New Year’s Day Run in Baxter. This year will be a 13k (for 2013) trail run with 5k options. Registration will be available online at our Fall Festival booth or online through our Face book Event.

Sponsorship Opportunities: We are seeking a small number of founding sponsors who share our understanding and passion for what the Baxter Trail System means to our community. In exchange for helping seed the club your business will maintain primary promotion in our print materials and events for a predetermine length of time; recognition specifics to be negotiated offer by offer.

We are also seeking Gold ($500), Silver ($250) and Bronze ($100) sponsors for the New Year’s Day Run. To help make this year’s event a successful kick-off to a healthy 2013 we are seeking in kind contributions for runner refreshments and goodies plan to have goody bags for 100 runners as well as a few door prize opportunities.

The Club is also interested in any subject matter expertise you are interested in contributing such as tax, web design and hosting, materials acquisition, etc.

To get a deeper understanding of these efforts and how you can help out, please plan to join us as our November meeting. Please RSVP on our Face Book group event and/or email us!

Happy Trails!

Find us on FaceBook…Baxter Trail Club…or reach out to:
Mark Van Sickle at mvansickle5199@gmail.com or
Charlie Lieske at charlie.lieske@gmail.com

Carolina Thread Trail Community Coordinator Travis Morehead will be at our October meeting to provide updates about the CTT, including the status of the planned trail section between Baxter Village and River Walk in Rock Hill. The meeting will be held on October 8th at 7:00 PM in Village Hall.

As summer draws to a close, the Trail Club is gearing up for some exciting events; from trail work days to hiking and running events and even a few fund raisers… And while these outdoor events are going on there is plenty to do indoors as we get our charter, finances and insurance coverage in place. There is a lot of opportunity to get involved in the
coming months.

First and foremost, yes, we know this isn’t really exciting or an event but there is a section of the trail that is currently closed due to development activity. The area is off of New Grey Rock Road and connects the trail along the road to the area where the storm water pond
is located. Clear Springs Development has indicated that the trail should be able to be re-opened sometime later this fall. Be on the lookout for updates on the Club’s FaceBook group as well as by blast email from the BCA.

Our first monthly meeting of the season will be held on September 10th at 7:00 PM in Village Hall. We are planning on discussing:
The next steps to formalizing the Club. This includes updates on governance & finance documents, dues and other fund raising efforts, as well as trail work day structure and event mobilization efforts!

September trail work day planning: The September work day will be held the weekend of the 15th. Work days have historically been on Saturday mornings from 7:00-12:00 or later depending on the task(s) we are taking on. We have done some on Sundays too but,
Saturdays seem to work best overall for these events. We will work to finalize the location
and scope of the work day at the meeting and discuss potential future efforts.

Trail mapping and marking: We have an update on the mapping efforts and are
looking for volunteers to help with these efforts. Help is needed with designing, sourcing and building of markers. Planning for future outings such as Hikes, Family Mt. Biking, Full Moon Bon Fires, New Years Day Runs and potential educational and recreational
type opportunities.

We are always open to new ideas so please come out to share yours, especially if you want to take an active leadership role in planning it with us. We are also planning on having a booth at the Fall Festival to help let people know we are here and what we are about. We also hope to use this as a fundraiser and we will need volunteers to help get us ready and to inform people of what we are about.

To get a deeper understanding of these efforts and how you can help out, please plan to join us as our September meeting. Please RSVP on our FaceBook group event and/or email us!

Happy Trails!

If you would like more information or to get more involved, join the Baxter Trail Club group on FaceBook or reach out to:
Mark Van Sickle at mvansickle5199@gmail.com or
Charlie Lieske at charlie.lieske@gmail.com.

Thanks to the Trail Club for cleaning up the pond area on the River District trail. Looks great!

Be sure to get down to the River Park too…great views!

Did we mention that runners/walkers will also have the opportunity to get a free massage on race day, courtesy of Body Restoration Mechanic?! www.carolinathreadtrail5k.org

Attached is a map of Anne Springs Close Greenway for all of you who want to go try out the trails before the event! We’ll be starting near the Rush Pavilion (B) and headed down toward Lake Haigler then up towards the Blue Star Trail and Steele Creek before finishing off back near the pavilion again. More details on the race course coming soon!

Anne Springs Close Greenway Map

Did you know that if you register for our first annual “Tread The Thread 5K” trail race you can get a discounted Trailheads membership for $20 (usually $25)?

Sign up here!

This trail (Dark Blue markers) makes a loop around the new section of Morris Hunt Drive starting at the creek crossing near Downing Drive crossing over Morris Hunt then follows back to where it connects to the existing Orange Trail. Get out and enjoy the Spring weather.