5K Charity Run Downtown Wednesday!

Wednesday Evening
July 20

Citizens Bank, The Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Business District, YMCA and Oddfellows Playhouse are sponsoring a unique family oriented festival and road race. The festival features Oddfellows street performers, ARTFARM’s Circus for a Fragile Planet, moonwalk, giant slide and extended hours at Kidcity Children’s Museum. Throughout the event, music and dancing entertainment will be provided.

Race Day Schedule: Citizens Bank, Main St.

4:30 p.m. Packet Pickup & Race Day Registration

6:30 p.m. ½ Mile Kid’s Fun Run

6:45 p.m. 5K Road Race

7:00-8:00 p.m. Post Race Celebration

7:30 p.m. Awards

Tech T-shirts to the first 500 5K entrants. The first 150 participants in the Kids Run will receive t-shirts. Showers will be available after the race at the Middlesex County YMCA. All participants are invited to enjoy our post race snack, live music, street performers and awards ceremony.

Corporate Team Competition Winning team gets to display the Pratt & Whitney Team Trophy until next year’s race. Teams can be of unlimited size – three fastest runners determine team time. Fastest team time wins. Companies can enter an unlimited number of teams. Team members must work for the organization. Applications must be sent together with a team roster. Prize for fastest team.

Awards Top three male & female finishers: 12 & under, 13-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80+ and Wheelchair. The first male & female Middletown resident also receive awards. All finishers of the Kids Run receive ribbons.

Race Benefits
Receiving donations from recent races were the Northern Middlesex Habitat for Humanity, the YMCA of Northern Middlesex County, Middlesex Chamber of Commerce Mentor Program, Amazing Grace, Art Farm, Middlesex Bike Club, Kiwanis Club, Oddfellows Playhouse, Warm the Children and the Ed Gorecki Memorial Fund.
Volunteers: Middletow Republican Town Committee & Kiwanis Club of Middletown will be among many other groups volunteering to provide support to runners.

Booking Time at the Book Bower

From Linda Bower

Cromwell resident, Joanne Swift, will be discussing the book, “Our Blessings
from China” and her chapter in it on Friday May 8, 2009 at 5 pm at The Book
Bower in Main St. Market, Middletown. The book details the adoption journeys
of 9 families who chose to grow their families by adoption for varying
reasons. Her story is written from the perspective of growing up in a large
family (10 children) and adopting while already having 4 biological
children. She is the proud mom to seven including three from China.
Joanne aspired to writing a book, and has started with a chapter in this
book. Come and hear her family’s story. Light refreshments will be served

Saturday May 9 at 3:30 pm there will be a book signing of his newest book,
“Haunted Golf” by Middletown resident Anthony Pioppi. “Haunted Golf”,
written with Chris Gonsalves, explores stories from the clubhouses of New
England to the fairways of New Orleans and the links of Great Britain. It
includes a foreword by CBS golf analyst Peter Oosterhuis. Pioppi’s work has
appeared in numerous magazines in the United States and Europe. His first
book, "To the Nines," chronicles memorable and notable nine-hole golf
courses across the United States, including Fenwick Golf Course in Old
Saybrook. Pioppi was also a reporter for the Hartford Courant and Middletown
Press. Light refreshments will be served.

In addition, Bryant Carpenter’s work, “Life is Still Good” is available at
the bookstore. This book captures the life affirming story of Rob Szymaszek,
the football coach at Maloney High School in Meriden. Rob battled brain
cancer with the same determination, grace and dignity that he taught his
players. This is a book of inspiration and encouragement.