Saturday, September 22, 2018, will be a big weekend in the Morrison, IL, community. Not only will Paint the Town, bigger and better then ever, hold sway in the downtown area. Rural roads southwest of town will be the site of the Harvest Hammer bicycle race, sponsored by Morrison Rotary Club.
The annual 5k run/walk, preceded by various shorter events for the small fry, will kick-off from Morrison High School, 643 Genesee Avenue, at 9:00 a.m., with the 22-mile bike race running concurrently.
The course for the 5k leaves town on Prairie Center Road, turning left on Lister Road as soon as runners cross the Rock Creek bridge. Following straight-aways, twists, and turns, runners turn onto Harvey Road from Lister and will go up the hill for about a quarter mile, to reach the turnaround point. With a sigh of relief, because it is all downhill from there, participants will retrace the course and finish at the high school.
Bicyclist will face the long hill on Prairie Center Road, followed by a mostly-straight course to Hillside Road, where they will turn left onto a two-mile straightaway to Bunker Hill Road. The course turns left from Bunker Hill Road onto Lister Road to Prairie Center Road. Riders will turn left and do it all again, completing the event at the high school.
All roads will remain open to restricted traffic except the portion of Lister Road between Harvey Road and Prairie Center Road. Motorists are encouraged to use extreme caution when bikers are present.
Members of the Rotary Club and other volunteers will serve as road guards, at intersections, and as cornfield traffic cops to ensure the safety of the race.
