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A movie of the start
of the race
The 2nd annual Sweet Dreams, Stuarts Draft Festival held July 23rd was a
huge success for the community and the residents of Augusta County. Ken
Jacobsen and Kathy McQuain from Augusta County Parks and Recreation, along
with many support staff and community volunteers, coordinated it all - from
vendor set up and parking, to event timing and announcements. Their efforts
resulted in a day of activities that never paused, rolling smoothly from
one to the next. The support from area businesses was outstanding, and their
contributions assisted immensely to make this a successful event.
Kathy presided over the official opening of the day at the Stuarts Draft
Park, at the same time as Ken and his assistants were coordinating the kickoff
events over at Schneider Park and McKee. At Schneider, the 5k road race
was immediately followed by a horseshoe tournament. At the same time, over
at McKee, the softball tournament commenced. These venues kept Ken, his
staff, members of the Stuarts Draft Horseshoe Club, and McKee volunteers
busy all morning and into the afternoon.
As sponsor for both the 5k race and the horseshoe tournament, it was rewarding
to be there, to experience the excitement of the participants and see the
events unfold. Starting the 5k race, Ken instructed all the runners as to
the rules and course of they would follow. Traffic on the road was a big
concern, so he stressed awareness and safety foremost. As if planned, to
make this point, the start of the race was interrupted by a few passing
vehicles, and the starting lineup had to clear the road. Once passed, everyone
lined back up and were given the signal to “GO”.
As an amateur photographer, I love to take photos. The start up of the race
left me scrambling to the side of the road when I realized the runners had
advanced much closer than my camera led me to think. A lesson well learned,
and some photos to prove it.
Ken, usually a soft spoken person, could be heard clearly as the returning
runners passed the finish line, recording their times. He even entered the
race for a brief time encouraging one of the final runners.
Loaded on this site are all of the pictures taken during the two events.
Some good and some bad, they are split into two links, one for the 5k race
and one for the horseshoe pitching. If you would like the full image of
any particular shot, just follow the instructions on the photo pages and
send me a note.
I had a blast and look forward to seeing you all again next year! Sweet
Dreams!
Kevin
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