Sunday in Adrian has eRace Stigma 5K, planting day at Adrian Community Garden

Brad Heineman, The Daily Telegram
·3 min read

What a busy weekend it is turning out to be throughout Lenawee County.

Concerts and antique tractor shows are among some of the community events taking place this weekend in Lenawee County.

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On top of those events, Sunday has a packed schedule in Adrian with the running of the annual Greg Adams eRace Stigma 5K and the Adrian Community Garden having its annual planting day.

eRace Stigma 5K

People of all ages and abilities are invited to register for Sunday’s run held annually since 2014. The race starts in downtown Adrian at the Toledo Street Farmer’s Market pavilion.

Race day packet pickup starts at 8 a.m. Sunday with both the Kids Dash and the 5K run/walk starting at 9 a.m. The Kids Dash will conclude much earlier than the 5K, which is scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon. All Kids Dash participants will receive a medal. The top three 5K finishers in each age group — male and female — will be provided with an award.

Participants of all ages head out of the gates Sept. 26, 2021, in the E-Race the Stigma 5K Run, Walk and Kids Dash in downtown Adrian.
Participants of all ages head out of the gates Sept. 26, 2021, in the E-Race the Stigma 5K Run, Walk and Kids Dash in downtown Adrian.

Results from the 5K will be posted at tinyurl.com/eRaceStigma5K24, which also is where people can register for the race.

Costs are $15 for the 5K participants and $5 for the Kids Dash. Fees on race day are $20, cash only.

All proceeds from the eRace Stigma 5K support health education programs in Lenawee County.

“Our goal is to increase the awareness of mental health issues with a focus on overall health and wellness; mind, body and spirit,” organizers of the run said.

In 2022, the race was renamed in honor of Greg Adams, who was one of Lenawee County’s leading advocates for mental health services. Adams died in 2013 from injuries suffered when he was hit by a vehicle while jogging.

When it started, the 5K addressed Adams’ passion for mental and physical health. He originally took up running to lose weight and to improve his physical fitness. The initiation of the community 5K, meanwhile, was because of his own experience using exercise as part of the treatment regimen he used after being diagnosed bipolar.

The Greg Adams eRace Stigma 5K is endorsed by the Michigan Fitness Foundation.

Planting day volunteers needed

Gardening tools will be onsite, but people wanting to volunteer and help with a local gardening/planting initiative are welcome to bring their own.

The Adrian Community Garden, which is managed volunteers, will have at least two garden beds “unplanned” and open for people to bring their “extras” or whatever they want to plant, according to an email from Christie Fitzgerald Boxer, who is one of the main caretakers of the garden.

Adrian resident Christie Boxer, one of the main curators of the Adrian Community Garden on George Street near where Water Street and College Avenue meet, is pictured tending to one of the garden's raised flower beds in 2020.
Adrian resident Christie Boxer, one of the main curators of the Adrian Community Garden on George Street near where Water Street and College Avenue meet, is pictured tending to one of the garden's raised flower beds in 2020.

The Adrian Community Garden is on George Street near the Lenawee Recreation Bowling Center, ZZ’s Sports Bar & Grill, the Kiwanis Trail and where Water Street and College Avenue meet.

Volunteers of any age can stop by the garden starting at 10 a.m. Sunday. Coffee and doughnuts will be provided. Like most years, planting day will consist of planting fruit and vegetable seeds and other crops, weeding, painting flower beds and flower boxes, and beautifying the existing garden space.

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Boxer, along with Christy Mesaros-Winckles of Adrian, started the community garden in 2017 as a means to serve as a locally grown food source and as a place to volunteer. The garden is meant to be tended to by the community, hence the “Community Garden” name. The city of Adrian owns the land, maintains the grounds, and supplies water and soil.

To contact Boxer, call or text her at 269-779-0184 or send an email to christie201@gmail.com. The Adrian Community Garden is on Facebook where for planting dates and gardening tips are posted. Boxer also can be reached through the Facebook page.

— Contact reporter Brad Heineman at bheineman@lenconnect.com or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: twitter.com/LenaweeHeineman.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: eRace Stigma 5K, planting day at community garden are May 19