President's Message
By Risa Olinsky:
BIG NEWS, SAD NEWS!
Everyone is asking about our annual February event, the Kennedy50. The rumor is true - with regret and apologies, we will NOT be running the Kennedy50 in 2024. Here’s the reason why and what to look forward to instead.
This past spring, as always, we reached out to the Clarion Hotel to book the block of rooms for 2024. It did not go well. The property is under new management and the folks who we’ve worked with in the past are no longer there. The new management team could meet neither our needs nor our budget, so we are actively looking for other options for 2025. Unfortunately, the Clarion is the only hotel large enough to host our group in the Harpers Ferry area, so we will simply tweak the route a bit. The walk will still be a 50-miler on the C & O but with a revised plan. Stay tuned for updates in the New Year.
SAVE THESE DATES, TOO! We are excited to bring back a popular event in the DMV (DC, MD, VA), Friday, April 12 through Sunday, April 14, for a spring weekend of walking. As we did in Old Town Alexandria, we will reserve a block of rooms at a few hotels in Bethesda for the best possible rates we can find. Once you’ve registered for the walk, you can choose your hotel. Katey Lazarchik has designed two great walking routes of approximately 20 miles per day over the course of the weekend. Hold the dates and watch for the Eventbrite invitation in the next few weeks.
NEW WEBSITE! In 2024 we will launch a new FreeWalkers website. The new site will make it easier for you to find the information you need, including the walks you love, and will include stories submitted by YOU, our members.
Do you like to write? If so, put on your thinking caps, and ask yourself what you’d like to share. What do you LOVE about walking? Where do you like to walk? How often do you walk? Let’s hear it… pictures are welcome, too! Submit your story (no more than 500 words) to info@freewalkers.org.
Stories will be reviewed, and if needed, edited for space and/or content (with your final approval) before posting. FreeWalkers.org is all about our walkers – so we want to hear from YOU!
All my best,
Risa Olinsky, President
