Holmes County Rails to Trails Auction key to trail completion
Holmes County Rails to Trails continues to provide a safe and integral route of travel for bikes, buggies and walkers as it weaves through the county. The upcoming benefit auction on June 14 will raise funds that will help the coalition's effort to complete the trail near Glenmont.
Dave Mast
The 19th annual Holmes County Rails to Trails Benefit Auction will be held Saturday, June 14 at Harvest Ridge, 8880 state Route 39, one mile west of Millersburg.
According to Jen Halverson, Holmes County Park District director and Rails to Trails Coalition director, the Holmes County Rails to Trails Auction is an opportunity to see what Holmes County is about.
From community-made furniture and tools to local food, a part of every community in Holmes County can be found at this year's auction. The auction was founded to help the Rails to Trails Coalition develop and maintain the trail that aids safer and more scenic travels through Holmes County.
As the director of the Holmes County Rails to Trails Coalition, Halverson said, “We are very grateful for the community’s participation in the event, as it would not be possible without their support. Harvest Ridge is a perfect location for our event. It has plenty of vehicle parking space while also offering designated areas for hitching horses, parking buggies, and recently added e-bike charging stations.”
The auction has partnered with Pomerene Hospital to offer a shuttle service from the Millersburg Depot to Harvest Ridge. This service allows commuters to avoid traveling on state Route 39 if they wish not to. The shuttle service, provided by Pomerene Hospital, will start leaving from the Millersburg Depot at 7:30 a.m. Parking for buggies and bikes will be available at the Millersburg Depot.
The auction also provides a variety of ways to arrive. Those wishing to go the entire way to Harvest Ridge via bike or buggy may use the bridge on the Holmes County Trail across the Killbuck Creek to the old fairgrounds.
A path will be laid out with signage through the old fairgrounds to County Road 349, which will lead to state Route 39. Then Harvest Ridge is only 0.6 of a mile on state Route 39. The auction offers plenty of space to park vehicles, harness buggies and horses, and charge e-bikes.
The auction will begin at 9:30 a.m. and will include locally made furniture, quilts, plants, lawn mowers, grills, tools, a swing set and buggies. Beginning at noon, the specialty items will be sold including a white oak timber frame pavilion, a greenhouse and a grain bin gazebo.
The day’s events also will include a locally made light breakfast, a bake sale, barbecue chicken and ice cream. There also will be a silent auction stretching across most of the day, ending at 1 p.m.
“We hope to complete a stretch of 4 miles of the trail from Glenmont to state Route 520, getting one step closer to finalizing our goal of providing the trail all across Holmes County as we can now set our sights on the next major project that will build upon the scenic environment the trail already offers,” Halverson said.
For more information call Holmes County Trail at 330-674-0475, email holmesrailstotrails@gmail.com or visit www.holmescountytrail.org. All proceeds benefit the Holmes County Rails to Trails Coalition and support the year round maintenance and development of the Holmes County Trail.
