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Fall Foliage Charity Bed Race Seeks ParticipantsBy Lyndsay DeBord - August 19, 2008
Special to iBerkshires
NORTH ADAMS — Along with food, music and parade floats, this year's Fall Foliage events will have hospital beds racing down Main Street.
The second annual Fall Foliage Charity Bed Race will take place Saturday, Oct. 4. Organizers will have a booth where people can sign up to participate on Wednesday night at the Mayor's Downtown Celebration.
The booth will show examples of beds from last year, and planners are trying to hold mock bed races on Holden Street.
"I think people were afraid last year," said Janeen Flagg, co-chairman for the bed race. She believes that after seeing the event last year, people will be more comfortable competing. About a half-dozen teams participated last year, most using borrowed hospital beds, and were cheered on by a sizable crowd.
Bronco Entertainment revels in its victory in the bed race in 2007. |
Janeen and Brian Flagg started the race as a charity for Northern Berkshire Healthcare. This year, too, they will raise money for the parent organization of North Adams Regional Hospital. They want to give back to the people who took care of Brian's parents during the last years of their lives.
"They lived at the hospital," said Janeen Flagg.
Sponsors for this year include Central Radio, T&M Auto, Jack's Hot Dog Stand and Colonial Pizza.
Organizers need both race participants and volunteers. There is a $125 donation per team. The race will also accept outside donations to help teams raise money. For registration information and race rules, click here.
Volunteers are needed to help with various tasks and will be provided with refreshments from sponsors Dunkin' Donuts and Big Y. Last year, the competition saw many volunteers from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, including a bed team.
"They were awesome — we couldn't have done it without 'em," Flagg said.
Race participants will not only have to navigate the careening hospital bed down the street, but also will have to participate in the "pajama exchange" halfway through the race.
"That was the funniest part," said Flagg of the exchange where the "sleeper" racer, riding on the bed, has to trade their nighttime attire with a team member.
Flagg described the enthusiastic crowd from the race's first year, during which "there was a lot of laughing," from spectators lining both sides of the street. There was only one complaint — the hour-and-a-half race was too short.
This time, Flagg wants the race to last longer. The structure of the single-elimination competition will depend on the number of entrants. The fewer entrants, the more runs the teams will make.
For safety reasons, Flagg also wants to see both sides of the street closed, as last year one side of Main Street was open to traffic. Some onlookers lined up along the divider in the middle of the roadway, with cars moving behind them, to get a better view of the race.
The chairmen and board members are busy getting more sponsors and are excited for the upcoming race.
"It's a lot of work, but we love it," said Flagg.
For an example of a bed race, click here. |
| I can't wait for the race this year it was so much fun. If I didn't have a prior commitment that same weekend I wanted to offer to volunteer. That will have to be next year! | | from: LISA | on: 08-21-2008 |
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