The Turkey Trot benefits the YMCA. Entrants will recieve a goody bag, long sleeved Turkey Trot t-shirt and post race refreshments.

Fee: $30 pre registration or $35 day-of
Start/End: 9:00 am behind Cuppa Joe in the Warehouse District

Go online for complete information http://www.everywhereugo.com/tc/nov-2008-turkey-trot.php or http://www.traversetrails.org/events/turkey-tart/

This event isn't run by TART this year... but have no fear... the Turkey Trot has been taken over by the good folks at Everywhereugo. They have made some fantastic changes to the route and you even get an event t-shirt for participating! I'm sure it will still be a fun event and a great way to start the day...especially on Thanksgiving morning! So have fun out there! 

A donation from the Cherry Capital Cycling Club to TART’s Smart Commute Week funded the purchase of the racks. The City of Traverse City provided the installation and the Downtown Development Authority paid for ten additional bike racks will be placed downtown yet this fall.

The Smart Commute Week committee believes that the addition of more bike racks around town will encourage people to consider sustainable transportation options, which is the entire idea behind Smart Commute Week. The committee hopes the bike rack enhancement will yield infrastructure improvements that will enable cyclists to feel that they are part of the transportation solution.

“As TART moves ahead and continues to advocate for bicycles and pedestrians in the Traverse area, we need the support from many individuals and governmental entities to allow for future infrastructure improvements- both big and small,” said Missy Luyk, Smart Commute Week coordinator. “Of course, a bike rack is a relatively small infrastructure enhancement, but it requires coordination with multiple agencies and user groups. TART needs that same kind of support on a larger scale in order to get future area trail building projects on the ground,” continues Luyk.

The North American Vasa will be sponsoring a pre-season cross country ski clinic on October 24-25^th. The program titled “We Ski” will be held at Timber Ridge RV & Recreation Resort. The featured speaker will be two-time Olympian, Lyndsey Weier from Marquette. The clinic will benefit the Traverse Jr. Nordic Ski Club.

The Friday session will begin at 7pm and features a presentation by Lyndsey Weier followed by a question/answer session. Brick Wheels will also provide a display of new ski fashion wear as well as the latest in Nordic ski equipment. A waxing clinic conducted by Brick Wheels will conclude the evening’s events. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students.

On Saturday morning, skiers will have a choice of two venues. Three one hour workshops at  will start at 9am at Timber Ridge. The first will cover dryland Freestyle (skate) techniques. The second session is at 10am and will use a panel of skiers to discuss race training, nutrition, race preparation, etc. The third segment at 11 am will cover pre-season preparation, ski specific exercises and strength training presented by Helayne Marchand of the Center Ice Health Center. The cost for all sessions is $5 for adults and is free for students.

A second program for more advanced skiers will be conducted from 9am to 1 pm on Saturday at the Grand Traverse Resort. This session will concentrate on roller skiing techniques including individual skier video review and critique. The cost is $50 for adults and $20 for students. For additional information, call (231)938-4400 or www.vasa.org.

Now is the time to decide what our region can look like fifty years from now. We urge you to visit www.thegrandvision.org and explore the resulting four scenarios. After reviewing and considering the information click on the “The Grand Vision Scorecard,” answer the questions and send it in. The implications are critically important. Planning, zoning and funding decisions will emanate from this process in the years ahead and the TART Trails mission has a vested interest in each of those.

Trails, pedestrian ways and biking in general play a role in all four of the scenarios. As you will see however, moving from scenario A through B, C and to D the need for more and better bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure increases. Also as you will see, moving from A through to D less money is required for roads leaving more resources available for those things we as an organization are advocating for; road shoulders, trails, sidewalks, traffic calming measures and safer intersections. Please fill out a scorecard either on the website or in hard copy version. Hard copy scorecards are available here at TART Trails and in a number of other locations listed below.

Please contact the TART Trails office at 941-4300 if you have any questions.

Event details at a glance:
What: Trail Work Bee
Where: Vasa Pathway Trailhead-- off Bartlett Road in Acme Twp
When: Saturday, October 11, 2008
Time: 9:00 am – noon

At a dinner event at Black Star Farms on October 2nd, the officials of Traverse Area Recreation and Transportation (TART) Trails awarded the 5^th annual Jim Mudgett Trail Pioneer Award. The award was presented to Dick Naperala by past recipient Tim Brick.

Dick Naperala, a founding member of the Grand Traverse Hiking Club, has been a leader in the development and maintenance of 90 miles of hiking trails in northwest Michigan for over 15 years. He worked with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) to re-route the North Country Trail off of the Shore-to-Shore Horse trail to connect Muncie Lakes Pathway with the Sand Lakes Quiet Area.

After working for years on a proposal to the MDNR, Dick recently received permission to establish a trail to connect the Vasa Pathway with Sand Lakes and the North Country Trail, along with a link to the Kalkaska area trail system. This will complete a continuous non-motorized trail from Traverse City to Kalkaska, with North Country Trail connections to New York and North Dakota! Fellow hiking club enthusiasts gushed over Dick’s dedication to the North Country Trail and said “he spent hundreds of hours in the woods scouting potential routes.”

Lesser known to most, Dick spends a lot of time behind the wheel of ski grooming equipment when the snow flies. He is one of the members of the TART Trails grooming crew who works many early mornings preparing the Vasa Pathway for cross-country skiing.

One of the quotes from a nomination letter said it best, “It is true that countless other people were involved in the work of building these trails, but without Dick’s inspiration and leadership it would not have happened.” Dick Naperala has been a positive force in our area over the years by visioning trails that connect people to the great outdoors to experience nature and receive an enlightening recreation experience.

 “Dick has displayed the work ethic, character, integrity and dedication to this community and that should be recognized and honored. He is an incredibly worthy recipient and I’m proud that he has won the award this year.” Bob Otwell, TART Trails Executive Director.

The Jim Mudgett Award was created to honor and pay tribute to individuals who have shown leadership and passion for our local trails. The award is given annually at TART’s Octoberfest dinner party.