Music, Food, Raffles, and Candlelight Walk
Friends of the River Bend Trail is excited to host an event to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the River District Development Foundation. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 13th at the Agra Pavilion at 404 S. Park Street, Merrill WI. A social will kick off the event with music provided by Mark Robl. The public is invited to join the celebration. Food and drinks will be served followed by a candlelight walk. To add to the fun, area businesses and organizations have provided raffles for this event.
The River District Development Foundation was formed in 2011 with its mission to provide resources that allow Merrill Area citizens to take a part in the enrichment and enjoyment of the precious spaces along the community’s beautiful river corridors. In the last ten years, with the leadership of the River District Development Foundation of Merrill three phases of the River Bend Trail have been completed providing 5.5. paved miles of trail featuring the beautiful Wisconsin River and providing a paved pathway through the City of Merrill.
Thankfully a group of Merrill citizens had a vision for the abandoned railroad and now we have a gem of a trail for all to use and enjoy our amazing riverfront,” stated Jon Krohn, River District Foundation President. “The River District Foundation, Friends of the River Bend, and the donors have worked extremely hard to achieve something special. Our thanks to all.” added Krohn.
The organization of the event had been made possible through a partnership between the River Bend Trail and Merrill High School Student involvement. Elizabeth Schmidt, a senior at Merrill High, has been leading this event as DECA President and Dual Credit NTC/MHS Business Student. She has been taking initiative in all areas of creating a successful event from marketing, to planning, to logistics, to asking for donations and raffles, to finding volunteers, to writing press releases, and all other necessary tasks. As a main organizer of the event, she will be earning North Central Technical College business credits in a variety of business classes. Other high school students have donated handmade wood items made in their wood classes for raffles. Business students include Chase Cortright and Jana Jacobson created radio advice.
This event will include a special dedication of Rotary Park, the trailhead of the River Bend Trail which has been made possible by Rotary Club of Merrill. A campfire will be provided if you would like to bring supplies and equipment for s’mores. The event will be held rain or shine and everyone is welcomed to attend. We’d like to thank all of the sponsors over the years and those who made this event possible.
For more information on how to support the trail and received updates on trail activities visit www.riverbendtrail.org or join us on Facebook.