Ready for Bed? Annual Charity Race Taking Signups

By Tammy Daniels
iBerkshires Staff
04:12AM / Thursday, September 03, 2009

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Who would have thought three years ago that Main Street would became an annual race course — for beds?

The somewhat bizarre and extremely entertaining Fall Foliage Charity Bed Race is the brainchild of Brian and Janeen Flagg, who were looking for a way to thank Northern Berkshire Healthcare for the good care given to Brian's parents in their failing years.

Over the past two years, hundreds have turned out to watch five-person teams trundle beds down Main Street as fast as they can. All for charity and some cool prizes.

This year, the Bed Race is taking a prominent position in kicking off the city's annual Fall Foliage Festival on Saturday, Sept. 26. That means it's fast turning into a Fall Foliage tradition alongside the Children's Parade, art show and Phantom Leaf Hunt.

"We have a lot more people interested earlier this year, which is really neat," said Janeen Flagg, Bed Race co-chairman. "We actually had people from out of town calling. Right now, we have eight or nine (teams) seriously interested and a couple from the hospital."

She's encouraging teams to sign up early and get started on making beds; if they wait to the last minute, they'll have to haul one of the 300-pound wheeled hospital beds (with a teammate sitting on it) donated for use by North Adams Regional Hospital.

"Those will be limited. We need a bed count for those that think they're not going to have time to whip one together," said Flagg.

The race itself is made up of heats of two teams at a time, run until only one is left standing. It's not just about being fast with a bed. A runner not only has switch places halfway down the run with the "bed sitter," they have to exchange bedclothes as well.

The clothing change has tripped up even the fastest runners. Flagg suggested a little research and practice before race day.

The Bed Race Web site offers tips and resources on bed making.

"We can't help you make your bed but we can certainly point you in the right direction," said Flagg, who suggested Freecycle.org or the Goodwill for parts and bedding.

The North Adams Goodwill was extremely helpful last year for entrants looking to jazz up beds and costumes, she said.

Because it's not all about running. Teams are encouraged to dress up themselves and their conveyance for fun. In the past, there've been fairies, bed bugs, nurses, wacky racers, etc. To encourage more outlandish gear, organizers last year decided to offer two prizes for creativity as well as for the top three spots.

The prizes are baskets of goods and free coupons donated by local businesses. The idea is to create foot traffic into contributing shops and promote local businesses, said Flagg.

"Our whole idea is to create this great community atmosphere to bring people together and if everyone pitches in, we can make this the most fun thing to do every year."

Organizers are also looking for some local talent who might serenade the crowd during halftime as has Flagg's daughter, singer Lita Williams.

Cost to register is $125.

"It's all about raising money for charity," said Flagg. "Every penny we get for Northern Berkshire Healthcare goes to help the patients who go there."

Anyone interested in getting a team together should go to the Web site or contact Brian Flagg at 413-281-0069 or foliagebedrace@hotmail.com.

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