This
year's annual Bell Tower Festival will be held, as always, the second
weekend of June, and is featuring several first-time events and
exhibits. Visitors are expected to be delighted when the schedule of
events is officially unveiled next month. This will be the 33rd annual
festival, and even though new features will be prevalent, the festival's
annual signature event will once again be front and center.That's right - the Bell Tower's annual foot race will be tipping off opening ceremonies, and a record number of participants is once again anticipated. What started innocently enough as the 1K Race at the inaugural festival has grown incrementally through the years. Envisioned as a race that would reflect the longevity of the Bell Tower Festival, each year an additional K was added - providing sometimes spectacular, and sometimes disastrous results - but always plenty of excitement.
Unfortunately most of the spectacular took place during the first few years of the festival, when close finishes were the norm. The more recent races have seen some rather disastrous episodes. Heatstroke, heart attacks, and even death has led to nervous anticipation as the race continues to grow longer each year.
Harvey Aglet, this year's race organizer, is hoping for the best. "Yes, we have had some difficulties in recent years," he stated. "Three years ago, at the 30K race, we had a push toward senior citizen fitness. We didn't realize just how difficult it would be for Jefferson's seniors to complete that race. In retrospect, however, it really turned out that we learned a lot from that race. For instance, we learned that having ambulances and medical personnel on standby can be a real lifesaver. If only we had known that before the race."
When asked if there were any other memorable races that stood out in his mind, Mr. Aglet got emotional. "It is a tougher race every year," he said. "At last year's 32K, it was over 100 degrees (sob). We couldn't have known that the heat would take such a toll (more sobbing). Imagine - a whole busload of kids from Scranton - it didn't have to happen (uncontrollable sobbing)." When asked about this year's race, Harvey perked up a bit. "Oh yes, we look forward to a very exciting race this year. We are hoping at the 33K we will have more of the special moments we used to have at the 1,2, and 3K races. We once again expect to have a record number of participants."
Boyce Bailey, 04-28-2011