Downtown Middlesborough Joins Forces with Walk/Run MS Bell County on Saturday, April 12, 2014

Portion of Canal Walk between 19th and 17th Street slated for improvement. Credit: DDM.

Members of the public are invited to the MS Walk/Run Bell County at the Middlesboro High School Track at 9AM. The walk/run event officially begins at 10AM. Then immediately afterwards students from the University of Kentucky will provide their recommendations for a new city-wide trail system for Middlesborough.

University of Kentucky Presentation

Over the past several months students from the University of Kentucky Department of Landscape Architecture have visited Middlesborough several times. This final visit will provide students an opportunity to present their findings for a city trail system. Also partnering on the project is the Rivers, Trails, &Conservation Assistance program of the National Park Service. The findings will help to guide trail system development efforts in the years ahead.

Discover Downtown Middlesboro is a local non-profit organization founded in 2006. The organization has been successful attracting grants, organizing volunteers, and building support for downtown revitalization. In 2013 a strategic plan was created with substantial community input. This includes a recommendation to build up a city trail system that connects the downtown with the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park.

DDM President Jay Shoffner said, “We’ve been so fortunate to have all the attention paid on us by the faculty and students from the University of Kentucky. We hope the community will come out for this final presentation and thank the students for the excellent work that they have done.”

Downtown Middlesborough will also be fielding a team for the MS Bell County Walk/Run beforehand. Those wanting to join the team should contact Executive Director Isaac Kremer at (606) 248-6155.

MS Bell County Walk/Run

To be a part of the run a small donation is requested to the National MS Society and all runners will receive an event tee-shirt.  A light breakfast will be served and grilled hot dogs will be provided after.  Additional fun events include a corn horn tournament and face painting for kids and adults alike available all free of charge to the public.

The National MS Society is a collective of passionate individuals who want to do something about MS now—to move together toward a world free of MS.  The Kentucky Southeast Indiana Chapter serves 108 counties in Kentucky, as well as Clark and Floyd counties in Indiana.  In our territory, over 4,900 people have been diagnosed with MS.  For each of those people in our Chapter living with MS, there is a number of countless others also affected by this illness—families, friends, employers, and other care partners.

The Society helps people affected by MS by funding cutting-edge research, driving change through advocacy, facilitating professional education, and providing programs and services that help people with MS and their families move their lives forward.  To create a world free of MS, we must discover the cause, increase treatment options, and most importantly, find a cure.

Join the movement to support the National MS Society, Kentucky Southeast-Indiana Chapter in our efforts to create a world free of MS.  Bring your family and friends on Saturday April 12, 2014!

For more information about multiple sclerosis or Walk MS, call 502-526-5303, email mary.carabella(at)nmss.org or visit www.walkmsky.org to register. For information on the UK Presentation please call 606-248-6155, email downtownmiddlesboro(at)gmail.com or visit www.downtownmiddlesboro.org.