The eighth annual Impact the Cure on October 7 in Abilene will give both runners and non-runners of all agesthe opportunity to celebrate life and raise funds to help fight breast cancer in Dickinson County.

Impact the Cure is an annual Breast Cancer Awareness 5K Run and 2-Mile Fun Walk in downtown Abilene hosted by Impact Sports and Fitness, 418 North Broadway, Abilene. The race will begin on Saturday, October 7, starting at Impact Sports and Fitness, and is open to people of all ages and fitness levels.

Pre-registration is $20 and includes an Impact the cure long sleeve t-shirt. The Couch Potato fee for those who are unable to participate but wish to support the cause is a donation of $20 and receive a t-shirt. You can pre-register at Impact Sports and Fitness or by visiting www.impactthecure.com. There is a fee of 75-cents for all online registrations.

Registration the day of the event is $25 ( t-shirt not guaranteed for day-of registrations ). Registration and check-in begins at 7 a.m. on October 7.

Impact the Cure offers a full schedule of activities beginning with an informal ceremony at 7:45 a.m. recognizing cancer survivors as a group. Following the race there will be a pancake breakfast and entertainment as Chris Cakes shows off their pancake flipping skills. The breakfast is open to everyone in the community. You do not have to be registered for  the run / walk.

Booths will information about breast cancer and local health care resources will be available. There will also be vendor booths with pink breast cancer – related items and other pink merchandise available for purchase.

There will be free kids races beginning at 8:45 a.m. and a Wiener Dog Race at approximately 9 a.m. in the parking lot of Impact Sports & Fitness. The race is open to miniature dachshunds or at least half miniature dachshund breeds. The entry fee is $5 per dog the day of the event ( no pre-registration), with all proceeds going to Impact the cure.

There will be an awards ceremony following the completion of all events.

A new Adventure Park open at Fort Riley with a ribbon-cutting Saturday at noon. The recreation area features ziplines, ropes courses, archery, paintball, a rock climbing and more.

Following the ribbon cutting, all activities at the Adventure Park will be free until closing time at dusk and again on Sunday from 9 a.m. to dusk. A free movie, Disney’s “Moana” will be shown Saturday just after dusk.

Fort Riley Garrison Commander Col. John Lawrence is scheduled to be the featured speaker for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Dave and Ellie Everitt, Marco Island, Florida, have given $3 million to Kansas State University Libraries.

It’s the first major gift given toward the K-State Libraries‘ first-floor renovation and modernization project. The renovation will create a more accessible entrance to the first floor. It will include group study spaces, instruction rooms, satellite meeting spaces for student services, exhibit space for special collections, a café and flexible event space. The project will also provide a home for the Center for the Advancement of Digital Scholarship and the Open/Alternative Textbook Initiative.

Ellie Everitt graduated from Kansas State University in 1973 with a degree in clothing and textiles from the College of Human Ecology. Dave Everitt received his degree in industrial engineering from the College of Engineering in 1975. They are both KSU Foundation trustees and serve on the Innovation and Inspiration Campaign steering committee. Dave Everitt is on the foundation’s board of directors.

While they support both of their colleges, the Everitts enjoy investing in programs that positively affect the entire campus. When the KSU Foundation and K-State Libraries told them of the Hale Library renovation project, they jumped at the opportunity to make a difference.

“The K-State Libraries are an integral part of supporting research and helping K-State reach its 2025 goals,” Dave Everitt said. “This renovation will help the libraries enhance their role by supporting collaboration and multidisciplinary studies. Another aspect of the project I like is the ability to showcase special collections that are in the library or that travel through the library. It’s a place people go to appreciate these historical and important documents.”

The Hale Library renovation project is estimated to cost $6.5 million, and the Everitts’ donation of $3 million goes a long way in making it a reality.

A special exhibit created for the Symphony in the Flint Hills Gallery is currently at the Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene. “The Chisholm Trail: Driving the American West” is now on display in the Library building gallery. The exhibit will be open during regular operating hours form 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. daily through mid-October, including Labor Day weekend as Abilene celebrates the Chisholm Trail 150th anniversary.

The Chisholm Trail fundamentally changed the American West. From the birth of the cowboy as an icon to the revival of the cattle industry, the Old Chisholm Trail shaped our popular culture.

The original exhibit invites visitors of all ages to explore the Chisholm Trail from its inception in the 1860’s to today. Exhibit highlights include an interactive musical exploration of the scores of verses to the cowboy song, “The Old Chisholm Trail,” video and audio clips of movies and songs that reference the Chisholm Trail, and several artistically rendered, life-size longhorn cattle. Younger visitors can create their own brands with the “Brand Your Beeves” interactive station.