Museum L-A invites the Twin Cities to a challenging way to have fun with a new event being planned for Sunday, June 24. Combining music with athletic competition, “Bands on the Run Half Marathon & 5K” will encourage participants and spectators to join in on the activities to benefit the museum’s work in the community.

Popular local bands of various genres will be stationed along a running course designed to offer spectacular views and varying terrain.

A military-style Kids’ Obstacle Course, immensely popular at last year’s L-A DU, will spur youngsters to test their fitness. The event will also showcase Museum L-A’s future location at 1 Beech Street, adjacent to Simard-Payne Park, where a festival-like atmosphere will prevail with live music, food and a variety of vendors. Competition gets under way with the Half Marathon starting at 8:30 a.m., followed by the 5K at 9 a.m. and the Kids’ Obstacle Course at 10 a.m.

“This is going to be a fun event for participants of all ages,” said Regina Catterson Museum L-A’s marketing/fundraising coordinator. “We have a great Planning Committee of experienced runners who are working to create the perfect event. Best of all, proceeds benefit Museum L-A’s educational programs, preservation initiatives, and community events.”

Co-directing this event are experienced race planner Mike Lecompte and Erik Boucher of GiddyUp Productions. Ed Desgrosseilliers is serving as director of the Kids’ Obstacle Course.

“As the event name suggests, runners in the 5K and half-marathon races will be entertained and motivated by various bands along the course, from the start line all the way to the finish area in Simard Payne Park,” Boucher said.

In describing the half-marathon course, Lecompe noted participants “will have wonderful views of Great Falls from West Pitch, experience the farmlands of North Auburn and run through the residential and urban streets of Lewiston-Auburn. They will also encounter a variety of terrain, including city streets, country roads, park paths and unpaved trails, with some flat sections mixed with an occasional rolling hill.”

“I’m very excited for our 5K runners since they will get to experience a unique inner-city race course with closed streets, cross over three bridges and pass by five different parks,” Boucher said.  Both courses start and finish at Simard-Payne Park, with award presentations to top finishers in age-group categories.

Plans for the morning’s activities are evolving with announcements of participating bands and additional features in the coming weeks. For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page or website at www.bandsontherunhalf.com or contact Boucher at ebouche1@maine.rr.com.

Members of the “Bands on the Run” planning committee recently gathered at Museum L-A: Jane Clavet, George Gendron, Alina Burke, Disa Fedorowicz-Drews, Rachel Desgrosseilliers, Regina Catterson,  Amy Hedigar, Erik Boucher, David Hedigar and Mike Lecompte. Additional committee members include Emile Clavet, Penny Gimpel and Ed Desgroseilliers.