On Saturday, April 2, the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will be hosting two events. The morning will begin with the 37th annual running of the Chickamauga Chase. That will be followed by the 9th addition of Civil War Park Day.
“We are hoping for good weather and a large turn out for both events,” said Superintendent Pat Reed.
The Chickamauga Chase is the area’s longest continuously run road race. Sponsored by the Chattanooga Track Club, the 15k race starts near the Wilder Brigade Monument and circles much of the Civil War Battlefield. The Chase events are scheduled from 7-10 a.m. with all proceeds being donated to the Friend of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. The Friends are a non-profit organization that supports many different educational and preservation efforts in the Park.
For information about the Chickamauga Chase, contact Race Director George Skonberg at (423) 267-1813, or visit the Chattanooga Track Club web site at www.chickchase.org.
Park Day is an annual hands-on preservation event created by the Civil War Preservation Trust to assist local groups with the maintenance of Civil War sites. Starting at 10 a.m., volunteers will gather at the Visitor Center where they will be assigned to a project. This year’s projects include: constructing a foot bridge; installing a historic tablet; cutting and clearing exotic privet; building a section of worm fence; and picking up litter. In exchange for their hard work, volunteers will receive a t-shirt provided by CWPT and the History Channel.
At 2 p.m., all Park Day participants are invited to join Park Ranger Rebecca Karcher for a car-caravan tour of the Chickamauga Battlefield.
The Friends of the Park are leading the effort to recruit volunteers for the Park Day event. For more information, please contact the Friends Info Line at (423) 624-6914 and leave your name and phone number or visit their web site at www.chickchatt.org.
With 68,000 members, CWPT is the largest nonprofit battlefield preservation organization in the United States. Its goal is to preserve our nation’s endangered Civil War sites and to promote appreciation of these hallowed grounds through education and heritage tourism.