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VALLEY — The 48th annual Hike/Bike/Run for Valley Haven School will be taking place this year on Star Wars Day (i.e. May the Fourth Be With You) and it should be a very successful day.

“We feel good about it,” said Valley Haven Executive Director Craig Brown. “All our events have gone well so far, and we are expecting another good event on Saturday.”

Registration will be starting at the school at 7 a.m. EDT. There will be an opening ceremony and flag ceremony taking place at 7:50 a.m. A kids’ play area will be available from 8 till 11 a.m. that day.

The first event will be the annual Jane Carmack Memorial Walk. The participants will meet at Valley Haven and walk over to Ram Stadium, where the five-mile walk will start.

A one-mile run will get underway at 8:05. A run meter will be set up at the entrance to Ram Stadium Drive. The running and hiking events will be starting there.

A one-mile walk will start just after the runners have left on the one-mile run.

The big event for the day will be a 4K run. It starts at 8:30. This is the event that usually draws the most participation.

A 10-mile bike ride will be starting at the school at 9 a.m. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult to take part in the ride.

After the bikers have left, a kids’ ride will take place in front of Valley Haven. Bikes, trikes, scooters and battery-powered rides will be welcome,

The final event of the day will be a 5K run. It will start at the run meter at 9:30.

An awards ceremony will be taking place in the parking lot in front of the school at 11 a.m.

Events that have taken place thus far include LaFayette Day, the Client Fun Walk, Skate Night at the Skatin’ Rink on Fob James Drive and Spirit Night at Little Caesar’s Pizza. At 5:30 p.m. on Friday, May 3rd, the annual Peach Walk will be taking place at the Georgia Visitor Center on I-85.

After dealing with COVID-19 for a couple of years and stormy weather for the past two years, things went extremely well on LaFayette Day. The weather was gorgeous, and a big crowd was on hand for a day of good food, live entertainment, a car show and lots of fun for the kids. Just under $10,000 was raised that day for the Hike/Bike/Run.

The annual auction for Valley Haven raised close to $8,000. It took place at the school on Friday, April 19.

The Fun Walk was held on Thursday, April 18th. More than 50 students at the school took part and had a great time. They celebrated with a dance party toward the end of the day.

“We want to thank local daycares and elementary schools for having had some trike-a-thons for us this year,” Brown said. “They are always lots of fun for the children.”

“We were well pleased with the way everything went on Skate Night,” Brown added. “It’s the first time this has been done. Given that it was a first-time event, I think it went really well. We’d love to do it again next year.”

Spirit Night at Little Caesar’s was also a good event for the school. A portion of the earnings for the day was donated to the school.

The Peach Walk is a long-time Hike/Bike/Run tradition. It’s in memory of the late James Hardy and his enthusiasm for staying fit and healthy. The walking trails at the visitor center and in Hardley Creek Park below West Point Dam have painted footprints on their surfaces that match his foot size.