Briefs | Duck Race marks 24 years

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Duck Race marks 24 years

The EXPAND Duck Race will be held Monday, May 30, at 4 p.m. during the Boulder Creek Festival.

The race benefits the City of Boulder Parks and Recreation Department’s EXPAND (EXciting Programs Adventures and New Dimensions) program, which provides recreational opportunities for children, youth and adults with disabilities.

Participants can sponsor a duck for $5 and watch as they are dumped over the 9th Street Bridge and race to the finish near the Boulder Creek Library lawn at the Peace Garden. This year’s prizes include a three-night, all-inclusive stay at Palace Resort in Cancun, and airfare is included. Those interested can register online, at the creek festival or at any one of the three recreation centers.

For more information, a full list of prizes, and to sponsor a duck, visit www.EXPANDDuckRace.org.

Meadowlark Trail opens June 2

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held on Thursday, June 2, at 3 p.m., to celebrate the grand opening of the Coalton Trailhead and Meadowlark Trail in Superior.

The ceremony will be held at the trailhead, near the new roundabout intersection of McCaslin Boulevard and Coalton Road, and will be followed by a guided nature hike.

The new two-acre area includes a shelter with two picnic tables, restrooms, bike racks, a dog station, an information kiosk and more. The new Meadowlark Trail extends from the Coalton Trail at its south end to the Mayhoffer-Singletree Trail at the north end, completing a 10-mile loop that includes the City of Boulder’s Greenbelt Plateau and the Community Ditch and Cowdrey Draw trails.

For more information, visit the Coalton Trailhead web page at http:// bit.ly/iD7iqn.

Rhythm on the Rails returns to Niwot

Niwot’s popular free summer concert series Rhythm on the Rails will return to Whistle Stop Park on Thursday, June 9, from 6 to 8 p.m.

The award-winning concert series continues every Thursday throughout the summer in Old Town Niwot until Aug. 18 and includes food vendors, artisans, activities for kids and a beer/ wine/margarita garden.

Artists lined up for this summer’s series include Girls On Top, Soul School, KUTANDARA, Hazel Miller, The Lionel Young Band and more.

More information on Rhythm on the Rails can be found at http://bit.ly/ jpTs5g.

Gearing up for Beach Palooza

On June 11, Boulder Reservoir will host Beach Palooza, a five kilometer, beach-themed obstacle run. The sandy course will include hot coals, a quicksand pit and more. Afterwards, runners can enjoy live music and drinks.

Runners are provided with a pineapple hat prior to race time, and are encouraged to gear up in their best beach bum costumes. The first wave of 750 runners will begin at 11 a.m., followed by a second wave at 11:30 a.m.

At 1 p.m., an awards ceremony will be held to name the best overall costume and top participants. Those who are not up for participating can attend and watch runners take on the obstacles near the finish line and enjoy the drinks and music.

For more information, visit http://beachpalooza.com.

Event raises $10K for Japan

Team Hope To Japan has reached its goal, raising more than $10,000 in four hours at its May 7 Japanese Charity Dinner in Superior.

It turned out to be the biggest grassroots charity event to aid Japan held in Colorado, and it was organized by Japanese women who live in Colorado.

More than 600 guests enjoyed Japanese food prepared by the Japanese women members of Team Hope To Japan and local restaurants. There were karate demonstrations and music performances with a koto, a traditional Japanese instrument.

“We cannot thank enough everybody who helped us to make it happen,” said Kayo Takahata-Awad, founding member of Team Hope To Japan, “and we were ecstatic that so many people came to see us. It was truly a team effort. Little things each of us can do could go a long way.”

All proceeds from the sale of food, T-shirts, eco-bags and Japanese goods will be donated to a fund to help provide disaster relief and support for Japanese children. In addition to immediate relief, this fund will help support long-term recovery plans to restore education and childcare in Japanese communities ravaged by the disasters.

Boulder school wins PETA award

Boulder’s Shining Mountain Waldorf School has received a Compassionate School Award from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for putting on a circus that included 26 performing students, “but no confused and frightened animals,” according to a PETA news release.

The circus — which showcased the kids’ talents as they ride unicycles, balance on giant globes, dance on stilts, juggle, spin poi, twirl hoops and perform acrobatics and gymnastics — was the brainchild of teacher, vegetarian and environmentalist Ralph Doane. The all-human circus was held on May 7.

“Mr. Doane and the Waldorf School are teaching an invaluable lesson in compassion not only to students but also to everyone who watches their performance,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “If kids knew how elephants are beaten and tigers are whipped, parents would have to drag them kicking and screaming to any circus that uses animals.”

The school will receive a framed certificate and a letter of appreciation from PETA. For more information, visit PETA.org.

Lafayette parks & rec honored

The City of Lafayette has been named a finalist for a national award for parks and recreation management.

The American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration, in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), recently announced that Lafayette is a finalist for the 2011 National Gold Medal Awards for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management.

Founded in 1965, the Gold Medal Awards program honors communities in the U.S. that demonstrate excellence in parks and recreation through long-range planning, resource management, volunteerism, environmental stewardship, program development, professional development and agency recognition.

Four finalists in each class are chosen to compete for grand honors each year. In Class V (population less than 25,000), Lafayette is competing with the City of Cullman, Ala., the City of Fairfax, Va., and the City of Green River, Wyo.

This year’s finalists will compete for Grand Plaque Award honors this summer, and the six Grand Plaque recipients will be announced live during NRPA’s Annual Congress and Exposition in Atlanta, Ga., Nov. 1-3.

For more information on the Gold Medal Awards, go to www.NRPA.org/ awards or www.aapra.org.

Calling bike-friendly businesses

Boulder businesses are being encouraged to apply for the designation of Boulder Bicycle Friendly Business, a program launched by GO Boulder and Community Cycles.

Businesses are judged on various cycling-friendly practices for employees and visitors, and the next round of designees will be announced on June 22, on Boulder’s Bike to Work Day.

Businesses that earn the Bike Friendly Business designation receive a certificate, window sticker and are featured on the Community Cycles and GO Boulder websites and newsletters. Business designations are Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze. Currently, 40 Boulder businesses have the designation, including five that have earned the Platinum-level classification.

To apply, businesses complete a survey (http://svy.mk/bikefriendly) covering bike-friendly practices such as bike parking, involvement in community biking events, employee incentives such as EcoPass, availability of changing facilities, use of bicycle delivery services and availability of loaner or company bikes for employees.

Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com