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FRASER — The Fraser First Booster Club wants community members to help find a path at their first Trample the Trail event.
Vania Apps, president of the Fraser First Booster Club, said they wanted to bring attention to Steffens Park, which is their new project. When the club set up tables at different events, Apps said a lot of people had mentioned they wanted a walking path at the park.
“We were thinking about it, since it’s still in the rough, there is no path at all. We thought we’d come up with the idea of this Trample the Trail to walk the perimeter,” Apps said.
The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on April 18 at Steffens Park located at 33000 Garfield Road and it will occur rain or shine. The trail is planned to be a mile perimeter in the 22-acre parcel.
“Because there is nothing there, and we’re literally going to trample the perimeter and kind of bring attention to the space,” Apps said. “Let people kind of get to know it with a vision in mind that this could have a path.”
Apps said currently the park is not accessible and one of their goals is to make it accessible in the future. She wants participants to keep in mind the event is to ensure everyone can access the park.
“Participants are encouraged to walk in honor of someone they love with mobility challenges, helping raise awareness for inclusive community spaces,” Apps wrote in an email.
The club intends to have different community organizations set up at the park to inform the participants of their services.
“Just for something for people to do since it is such a raw trail,” Apps said. “You’re going to have to be careful as you walk through and all that.”
Winkler Iron & Metal is their main sponsor, and they will host a can drive with 100% of the proceeds going to the club for the trail.
Laura Lesich, vice president of the Fraser First Booster Club, brought a sticker board to many Fraser events. Eventgoers had a list of amenities to choose from, and they placed a sticker under the category they wanted the most. Lesich said a lot of the items on the board received a lot of notice.
“The path was up there and, in the requirements, as far as wanting to have something in the park.” Lesich said.
She said prior experience at McKinley Park showed that walking paths are busy with a wide variety of people.
“Just another item we want to get the residents to enjoy here in Fraser,” Lesich said.
Lesich said they started talking about the event last fall. They wanted the event to occur when the ground was a bit muddy to help further trample the trail.
What footwear participants use is up to their discretion, Leish said, but they want to promote a “decorate your footwear” feature to show off fun and creative patterns and designs.
Apps said they received good feedback which included adding an amphitheater to host graduations and much more.
Engineers Anderson, Eckstein & Westrick will also be in attendance so people can give them ideas for the park.
Apps said the amphitheater included in the rendering, including restrooms and a closet, would cost around $1.5 million. She said the club will raise as much money as it can and that they would look for grants and more options.
“When we did McKinley Barrier-Free Park, we never guessed we would be looking at the same amount of money back then. That was 15 years ago,” Apps said. “Now every year we don’t get it done, it adds up.”
