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Amanda Weiss to chair Volkslaufe 2017 event

  The 42nd annual Volkslaufe will extend the Independence Day weekend to Tuesday for the Frankenmuth Jaycees.
  The races will take place on Tuesday, July 4, with all of them originating in Heritage Park and the Harvey Kern Community Pavilion.
  Amanda Weiss is chairing this year’s event which kicks off on Monday evening in Heritage Park. Annie Novotney is the co-chair. Some 2,500 participants are expected to sign up for the 2K, 5K, 10K and 20K runs and walks.
  “Registration has been good, with the early-bird registration closing last Friday. We are sitting right in line with last year,” Weiss said.
  Typically, when the Fourth of July falls on a weekday, runner and walker counts are up, as people cannot take advantage of the long weekend and head north for an extended vacation.
  On July 3, registration is open 5-10pm inside the Kern Pavilion, along with the Runner Market Place (5-10pm). Registration will be paperless and Volkslaufe Committee encourages walk-up registrants.
  For those interested in carbo loading, an all-you-care-to-eat spaghetti dinner will be served by the St. Lorenz Youth inside the nearby Lion Haus, from 5-7:30pm. The cost is $9 for adults and $5 for children.
 Inflatables and other children’s activities will take place in the Marv Herzog Fest Platz, 5-9pm, with Mandi Layne & the Lost Highway performing 7-11pm, along with DJ Dean Rush playing tunes between sets. Wolverine Fireworks will light up the sky with a great show beginning at 10:15pm.
  Beer, soft drinks, water and more will also be available beginning at 5pm in the park.
  The Frankenmuth Civic Events Council is sponsoring the Cornhole Tournament, which will take place with registration at 5pm and competition at 6pm. The cost is $40 per team.
  Grandpa Tiny’s Farm and Wilderness Trails Animal Zoo will have a small animal exhibit.
  Race day is July 4 and will open with registration 6-10:30am. The Frankenmuth Lions Club will serve a pancake breakfast in the Lion Haus 7-10am. The cost is $6 for adults and $3 for children. The National Anthem will be performed by the Frankentrost Band at 7:50am and the invocation by Saginaw County Commissioner and Frankenmuth native Dennis Krafft at 7:55am.
  The racing action begins with the 10K at 8am, the 20K at 8:10am, the 5K run at 10am, the 5K walk at 10:02am and the 2K Fun Run at 11am.
  A cannon will be fired to start each race. Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland is sponsoring the 10K race, with Family Foot & Ankle sponsoring the 20K race, the Bavarian Inn Restaurant sponsoring the 5K run and walk, and Jaami’s Ice Cream & Treats sponsoring the 2K Fun Run.
  The concessions, including food, beverages and Runner Market Place, will be open 6am until 1pm. The American Culinary Federation (ACF) will staff the barbecue pit from 10am until 1pm, serving half barbecued chickens and all the fixings for $9.50 each. The Frankenmuth High School Band will also have food concessions.
  The Tri-City Bubbles will be on hand for the first time, allowing persons to get into the clear plastic bubbles and roll around on the park grass.
  The Frankentrost Band will play during the morning until the noon awards ceremony under the Jaycee Pavilion. Custom-made German steins are awarded to first, second and third-place finishers in each age division for both male and female competitors in the 5K competitive walk as well as the 5K, 10K and 20K runs. Larger, 2.5 liter German steins will be awarded to overall first-place men’s and women’s finishers in the 5K, 10K and 20K races.
  The age divisions are 13 and under, 14-17, 18-23, 24-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74 and 75 and older.
  Unofficial times will be posted as soon as they are available at the end of each race. The race office is near the Rotary Building in the front of the park.
  The Best Dressed Competition has been a hit over recent years and will take place before the awards ceremony. Organizers encourage runners and walkers to let their imagination run wild and show off their spirit as the nation celebrates its birthday.
  Official judges will survey race participants and select top contenders. Those finalists will be judged by the crowd just before the ceremony to decide who is the best dressed. Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third places.
  Most of the finalists have decked themselves in red, white and blue and have been quite patriotic in nature.
  Traffic is impacted a bit by the Volkslaufe. Traffic is usually backed up on Weiss Street following Monday night’s fireworks as well as other sites near the Cass River, where prime viewing takes place.
  Traffic is also congested 8am until 11-11:30am along the race routes, especially the midtown neighborhoods, west of Main Street and Main Street and Covered Bridge Lane.
  Additional 2017 Volkslaufe sponsors include the following: Frankenmuth Insurance, SpringHill Suites, daVinci’s Italian Restaurant, United Dairy Industry of Michigan, Frankenmuth Credit Union, Schaefer & Bierlein Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram, Weiss Equipment, McDonald’s of Frankenmuth, Tri-City Brewing Company, Fairfield Inns & Suites, Grasel Graphics, Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth, Cobbler’s Bench Comfort Footwear and Mike Young Buick-GMC Truck.
  Additional sponsors include Reinert & Bender Auto Repair and Towing, K & B Builders Inc., Fenton Home Furnishings, Frankenmuth Noon Rotary Club, Star of the West Milling Company, The Fortress Golf Course, Harvest Coffeehouse, Frankenmuth Fun Ships Tasting & Tours, Bavarian Inn Lodge, Tiffany’s Food & Spirits, Rau’s Country Store, Frankenmuth Clock Company, Rummel Insurance Agency, Fraza Forklifts and Frankenmuth VFW Post #2725.
  The Jaycees also have a pair of special donations that have become a part of the Volkslaufe over the years.
  The Soles4Souls will be presented by the Cobbler’s Bench of Frankenmuth. The Jaycees ask persons to fight poverty by donating gently-used shoes. They will have a collection site inside the Kern Pavilion. Please visit www.soles4souls.org for more information. 
  The Medals4Mettle is an organization where endurance runners have the opportunity to pay it forward by enabling the gifting and awarding of earned half-marathon, marathon and triathlon medals to others who demonstrate similar mettle or courage, as they face life’s challenges. A collection site will also be located inside the Kern Pavilion. 
  A few more volunteers are needed for set up, tear down and along the race route. Contact volunteer coordinator Danielle Folino at her email address, Danielle.folino@chemicalbank.com.