Kids “tri” to get fit
Children in grades 2-5 are invited to participate in a Junior Ads Triathlon 2 p.m. April 29 at McDowell Wellness Center. The event is open to kids from any school district.
The triathlon will combine swimming, riding a bike and running into a single sport.
Young people represent one of triathlon’s fastest-growing demographics, according to USA Triathlon, so in keeping with “triing” to get kids healthy, Jennie Rogers Elementary School PTO and Hogsett Elementary School physical education program are starting the new event.
It will begin at the wellness center, 1107 Ben Ali Drive, with a 5-mile bike ride (all roads blocked and marked with police and volunteers) transitioning into a 1-mile run around the loop at the wellness center and then a final dip in the wellness center pool. There also will be a fun run immediately following the triathlon for those who are too young or not “tri” ready.
USAT, the governing body for U.S. triathlons, reported that the number of youth events has increased from 193 in 2004 to 383 in 2010. The number of children and teens who are USAT members (more than 37,000) has tripled in five years.
Triathlons aren’t easy for anyone, and the kids’ event is treated the same as an adult event. Water stations will be set up along the route where the athletes make their transition from one section to another and plenty of ways to hydrate. Volunteers will be on hand to help the kids, as well, if they need it.
Organizers will offer two practice swim sessions at the wellness center for students to get in the pool and get comfortable with the distance as well as the transition from run to swim. The sessions will be 11 a.m. to noon March 24 and April 23.¿Students must sign up ahead of time in order to have enough lifeguards on the pool deck. The wellness center also will offer swim lessons to get kids ready for the triathlon. Contact the wellness center to register, (859) 936-9355.
Information and registration packets will be sent home from some schools. Additional registration forms can be picked up at the wellness center, Danville Bike and Footwear, Jennie Rogers Elementary School and Hogsett Elementary School. More information also can be found at www.danvilleschools.net and www.dbfky.com (Danville Bike and Footwear site).
Heart of Danville celebrates 25 years
The Heart of Danville Main Street Program will celebrate its 25th anniversary 6 p.m. Feb. 29 in the Evans Lively Room in Old Carnegie at Centre College. At the celebration, the annual HOD awards will be given to the 2012 recipients.
Reservations are $40 per person and include drinks, dinner, and desserts.
The event is open to the public. Reservations must be made by Feb. 15 by calling the HOD office at (859) 236-1909.
Frankfort wildlife center to reopen
FRANKFORT — The Salato Wildlife Education Center in Frankfort will reopen for the season Feb. 14 with fun new features for kids, adults and the young-at-heart.
Kids can discover just how large a bald eagle’s nest can be as they climb into a new life-sized replica. Two giant rulers demonstrate the average size of a bald eagle nest and the dimensions of the biggest nest ever discovered a whopping 10 feet wide by 20 feet high.
Salato’s resident striped skunk has a new outdoor exhibit area so visitors can see it more often. The skunk cannot spray people with skunk smell.
Visitors can also witness the education center’s newest exhibit as a work in progress. The Bluegrass Prairie Exhibit will include a bobwhite quail aviary. Kids can pretend they’re quail as they hatch from a 3-foot-tall egg and hide in grass tunnels from a giant hawk. This new exhibit is scheduled to open in April.
Indoors, the popular summer Conservation Camp exhibit has been reinstalled. Kids of all ages can get a taste of the camp experience by pretending to fish, boat, shoot bows or rifles, study nature and practice survival skills.
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources operates three summer camps for kids in grades 4-6. Parents can learn more about these camps and pick up applications while their kids play.
For more information, call (800) 858-1549 ext. 4445. Learn more about upcoming events at the Salato Center on the Internet at fw.ky.gov. The Salato Center, operated by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, is located at the department’s headquarters, #1 Sportsman’s Lane (formerly #1 Game Farm Road), off U.S. 60 in Frankfort, 1.5 miles west of U.S. 127. Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. The center is closed Sundays, Mondays and state holidays.
Meetings
Sister Cites Committee Commission — date changed to 1 p.m. Wednesday at Danville City Hall.
