2 days Ago By DONNETTE BECKETT [email protected]
But they didn’t expect to stay that way. “We’ll be colorful,” Tim said. The couple, joined by daughter and son-in-law Brittany and Sydney Beck of Decatur, took part in the library’s Color Run, a two-mile fun run passing the locations where the former library buildings stand or once stood.
The event was one of the many activities scheduled throughout the year honoring the Decatur Public Library's 150th anniversary. Other upcoming events include a special Readiculous anniversary show, a video gaming challenge titled "Clash of Generations," a Puzzle Race and an anniversary party devoted to celebrating the library. Other activities can be found on the library's website and Facebook page .
The fun run began with a ceremonial explosion of hand-held color canons. Each participant was also given a packet of colorful powder to throw periodically along the route. The nearly 100 runners or walkers were provided with instructions on how to wash the shirts and other clothing once they returned home.
“Or don’t wash it,” Sydney said, hoping to preserve the family memory. “You soak it in vinegar, apparently.” According to Alix Frasier, librarian and organizer of the event, the powder exploding from the paint canons is water soluble and easy to wash out of clothing and hair.
“But please aim it at your running partners, not at other people’s vehicles or buildings,” she said. “Our neighbors have been really great in letting us do this.” The roads were open to normal Saturday morning traffic.
The trails for runners and walkers were marked along the downtown Decatur sidewalks with chalk. Volunteers were situated near the former library locations to offer help directing runner traffic and watching for oncoming vehicles. “And we had people shooting off color at them,” Frazier said about the special locations.
A map was given to each runner/walker with information marking the library locations. “But some of us didn’t look at the paper as diligently as we should have,” Tim Harbarger said. “We got a little lost,” Debbie Harbarger added.
The O’Donoghue family made stops along the route just to throw powder paint up into the air and see where it landed. They also wanted to participate in the fun run to support the library. “We love the library and we love doing all of the activities that the library has,” said Decatur resident and mom Caitie O’Donoghue.
“The library’s great to entertain our kids. There’s always something fun going on.” The event encouraged families of all ages to get messy.
“This is a good day to let them be as messy as they want,” O’Donoghue said. Halfway through the event, two-year-old Juniper O’Donoghue and her typically black stroller had already captured the image of a splotchy rainbow. “If it doesn’t come out, this is fine too,” her mom said.
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