Trail Town II- A Ton Of Fall Fun Is Coming To The Cloud

Trail Town II- A Ton Of Fall Fun Is Coming To The Cloud
By Charles Chandler
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With the advent of the rails trails and the numerous initiatives throughout the state and most of the country to put together additional hiking and biking trails sometimes we in the Near North can forget that we are home to a lengthy chunk of the expansive and seemingly infinite pathway known as the North Country Scenic Trail.
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Not only are we the proud neighbors of this magnificent walkway slicing through our area but..

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...the city that serves as our county seat is also a designated Trail Town. White Cloud achieved this honor through a collaborative effort involving many partners and with last year’s inaugural Trail Town Celebration serving as a springboard the town has begun to work toward building on the idea of the many opportunities to be gleaned from the recreational treasures that abound nearby.

September 23-24 the second annual Trail Town Celebration brings in the latest chapter of the romance between our visitors and our natural wonders. In addition to a scenic and challenging trail run a kayak race will be offering paddlers a chance to cruise down the White River in a three mile race that welcomes all levels of competition.

Whether aiming for a little medal-winning glory or just wanting to get in an upper body workout while taking in a pretty cool stretch of water, the race is hoping to draw on the rising popularity of paddling and showcase the beauty of the White.

The musical entertainment begins at 6:00 PM Friday with the progressive bluegrass sound of Fauxgrass providing some toe-tapping tunes, followed up on Saturday by our own local favorite, Sasha Evans filling the evening air with her enchanting love songs.  

The beverage tent will be manned by the White Cloud Eagles #4170, and this year and there will be plenty of good eats with new offerings from Sally’s, the Lion’s and Knights of Columbus and a repeat favorite, those delicious crispy pig skins and delicious BBQ from The Old Iron Bar and Grill.

 There will be tons of kid’s games, vendors, wagon rides, marshmallow roasts, and a big favorite from last year, the Haunted Village.  

The highlight of the weekend is the Saturday morning Housman’s Foods White River Kayak Race starting at 11:00 AM and the afternoon Independent Bank Blue Blaze 5k, 10k Trail runs beginning at 2:00 PM on the nearby North Country Trail.  There will be three planned demonstration hikes on the North Country Trail and the White Cloud Connector Trail.

For those that would like to learn about long distance hiking drop by the Western Michigan Chapter of the NCT table and meet three experts that have hiked the famous Appalachian, North Country and Pacific Crest National Trails.  To put this in perspective these guys have covered around 10,000 miles of trails; they can tell you thing or two about shoe leather.  

Additional events are planned by the Baldwin Rangers Station Staff of the Huron-Manistee National Forest and the ever popular BB Gun Gallery sponsored by the Michigan DNR.  Bring your family and friends and enjoy a great fun filled fall weekend at the White Cloud Park.

For additional information and event forms go to the River Country Chamber of Commerce events page:  http://www.rivercountrychamber.com/event-trailtown-celebration

​For those wishing to camp at the White Cloud Park that weekend you can go to the Newaygo County Parks and Recreation page and reserve your site: http://www.countyofnewaygo.com/ParksAndRecreation.aspx.

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