PERU — Call it the little trail that could.
The Nickel Plate Trail, which began its life as an abandoned railroad bed covered with grass and brush 10 years ago, will be a paved trail of more than 30 miles by this time next year.
Local runners can support the volunteer effort to pave the trail, by participating in the 23rd annual Cole Porter Classic 5K and 15K races Saturday.
Both start at 9 a.m. in downtown Peru and run along the Wabash River. The 15K course continues onto the Nickel Plate Trail, and both end at the circus center. There will also be a free pee wee fun run at 8:30 a.m.
Mike Kuepper, president of Friends of the Nickel Plate Trail, said the trail began with funding from the run, which is sponsored by the Peru Rotary Club, several years ago.
Trail planners used proceeds from a Cole Porter Classic to hire a consultant to apply for grants to fund trail construction.
Through the years, trail planners have received several grants, including a $900,000 grant from Gov. Mitch Daniels in 2008.
The trail is paved from Peru south to Cassville in Howard County, and work began north this year. Kuepper said plans are under way to pave from Peru to Rochester in summer 2010, and also to complete work on the Wabash River Bridge.
Kuepper said he’s seeing the tourism he had anticipated early on in the building process. He said the parking lot at the Cassville end is usually full, and last weekend he saw people there from Anderson, Elwood and even from Greenfield. He’s also seen Texas plates in the parking lot.
He said part of the northern section is on the American Discovery Trail, a route mapped for people biking cross country. A tavern in Denver has a log book for people riding the discovery trail to sign, and Kuepper has seen signatures in it from people from Australia, England, Mexico and all over the United States.
Kuepper said the work could not have been done without the many volunteers, who have cleared brush, paved, built bridges and maintained the trail. Construction is currently under way on three bridges north of Peru, using volunteer labor.
“If you look at everything we’ve done, for how little money we’ve spent, we’ve been very frugal and very effective,” Kuepper said.
For more information about the trail or the Cole Porter Classic, or to get a registration form, go to nickelplatetrail. org. Pre-registration is $15, or $18 with a short-sleeved shirt or $20 with a long-sleeved T-shirt. Pre-registration must be received by Wednesday. Race day registration is $20 or $25 with a short-sleeved shirt.
• Danielle Rush is the Kokomo Tribune education reporter. She can be reached at (765) 454-8585 or danielle.rush@kokomotribune.com.
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