MOONLIGHT MAGIC DOWNTOWN TRICK OR TREATING! Wednesday October 30, 4:30 p.m. Start at Northwest Bank 116 S Blossom St. Sponsored by Northwest Bank, Fareway, Shenandoah Family Dentistry, Vetter Equipment, Tractor Supply, Sorensens Auto Plaza. Hay Rack Rides by Vetter Equipment & Tractor Supply assisted by FFA! Free Hot Dogs by Fareway at City Hall Gazebo! Haunted House at Sorensens Auto Plaza at 1100 W Sheridan Ave. 

Music Sponsored by Invenergy at the City Hall Gazebo. Music by Hillyard & Sullivan 11am - 1:30pm. Food Vendors at the Flatiron area: HOG STOP BBQ & Cinnamon Rolls and Sonrisers Popcorn & Lemonade 10am - 3pm. Veterans Memorial Museum 603 W. Lowell Ave. 9am-1pm food inside grilled 7” all beef hot dogs & chips w/nacho cheese, beverages & music outside.

All day Friday & till noon Saturday, snap 10 selfies at participating businesses w/ pumpkins & bring to The Mill for prizes. Participating businesses:

Serenity Studio & Flowers, Earl May, Sugar Makery, Sheridan Decorating, Shenandoah Floral, Once Again, Browns Shoes, Healthy Tails Retreat, County Line Design, Smartie Pants, Morts Guns, CBS Hardware, Releaf 4U, Ladies Apparel, Valley Boutique, Hello Magnolia, Heart & Soul, Shen Nutrition.
(prizes provided by CBS Lumber & Hardware, Once Again, County Line Design, SMC Gift Shop, Ladies Apparel, Mondos Restaurant, Serenity Studio, Browns Shoes, Arrowhead Realty, Shenandoah Floral, Sugar Makery, Hello Magnolia, Second Hand Rose, Heart & Soul, Shenandoah Nutrician, & Morts Guns Health Tails Retreat.)

     Shenfest Car Show has partnered with the Shenandoah High School automotive class this year for a fundraising car and truck show on Elm St. in front of the Earl May headquarters building and in the Earl May/KMA parking lot at 607 W Lowell Ave. Vehicles will be judged from 9 a.m.- noon. Trophies will be awarded for the following categories: Best of Show Car, Best of Show Paint, Best Ford, Best Mopar, Best GM, Best Other Make, Best work In Progress, Best Student Car, Best Rat Rod, Most Unusual Vehicle, Best of Show Truck, Best Older Truck 1999 & Older, Best 4X4 Truck 2000 & Newer. Sponsors for the trophies are Earl May Garden Ctr., NAPA JB Parts & Supply, Invenergy, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Fareway Stores, Vetter Equipment, Farragut Oil Inc., Arnold Motor Supply, Midwest Outlaw Garage, Americana Co., Sapp Brothers, and Athen Farms.  Entry Fee is $10, and donations accepted for Shenandoah High School auto class to purchase new equipment. The Veterans Memorial Museum will be open next to the Car Show at 603 W. Lowell Avenue, 9 a.m.-1p.m. Selling food inside in their community room and playing 60’s and 70’s music outside. Grilled 7” all beef hot dogs and chips with nacho cheese and beverages will be available. The museums’ displays will also be open for viewing.

A Pickleball Tournament is a new activity this year at Shenfest Sept. 28th. It’s a doubles tournament at the Memorial Armory in downtown Shenandoah. It will run from 8 a.m. to 1 pm. It is sponsored by Sports Plex and Mondo’s Restaurant. Pairings in play will depend on skill level. Winners will receive Chamber bucks, Mondos discounts and prize money. The cost to enter is $20 per team which can be paid with check or cash on the day of the tournament or via Venmo@jenah-hughes-2 (code 3650). Entry forms are at SCIA or email ihughes062@gmail.com.

Permanent Mile Signs Going Up for 13^th Wabash Trace Nature Trail Marathon as Directors Seek Volunteers & Runners for September 14 Races

   Race Directors for the 13^th annual Wabash Trace Nature Trail Marathon, Half Marathon & Marathon Relay are recruiting volunteers and runners for the September 14^th races. This year runners will be guided by permanent mile marker signs on the trail. Southwest Iowa Nature Trail employees and volunteers are racing to install the signs before the 2024 race.

    Race directors submitted grants to help fund the new mile marker signs with a cost of $5,864. They received $2,000 from the Greater Shenandoah Foundation, $1,000 from a Fremont County Tourism grant, Southwest Iowa Nature Trails is providing $1,864 in signposts and Wabash Nature Trail Marathon race organizers Shenandoah Chamber & Industry Association, Trace organization and Imogene Sons & Daughters are providing $1,000. The signs were made by Iowa Prison Industries. They will mark the marathon miles covered from Shenandoah to the turnaround point and back and the half marathon miles from Imogene to the finish in Shenandoah. Each sign will also show the number of miles to the next town. It also includes a QR code the links to the Wabash Trace Nature Trail website.

     “The signs are a real asset to the trail. These signs will guide not only runners in our race, but bicyclers and hikers can use the markers to gage how far they have traveled and how far to the next town,” said SCIA race director Shelly Warner. “It will also save lots of time and effort by our staff and volunteers who have for 13 years put out temporary signs and removed them each year.”

     Wabash Trace Nature Trail Marathon, Half & Relay is a fundraiser for Shenandoah Chamber & Industry Association, Southwest Iowa Nature Trails, City of Imogene and Imogene Sons & Daughters. Sponsorships contributing with cash or in-kind donations this year are still being accepted. This year’s major sponsor at the $5,000 level is Green Plains Inc. Other sponsors are Pella Corp., Lloyd Inc., El Porton Mexican Restaurant, Shenandoah Family Dentistry, Depot Restaurant, Northwest Bank, Sorenson Auto Plaza, O’Hara Seed, First Heritage Bank, Subway, Wilson Insurance, KMA Radio, Mondo’s Restaurant, Shenandoah Community School, Earl May Garden Center, Shenandoah American Legion, St. Patrick Church, City of Shenandoah, City of Imogene, Wabash Trace Nature Trail, and Shenandoah Chamber & Industry Association.

      Shenandoah businesses also have the opportunity to put flyers, promotional items, or coupons in the race packets. They must bring the items to the SCIA office prior to Sept. 11^th.

      Race directors Shelly Warner and Kris Sherman of SCIA and Rebecca Laughlin of SWINT are recruiting volunteers now for the September 14^th races. Many duties are needed like water station attendants, bicycle guides, photographers, road guards at in town intersections with three shifts available 7:15-7:45AM, 9AM-11:30AM, and 11:30AM -1:30PM. Pre-race needs are runner packet stuffing Sept. 11 SCIA office 619 W Sheridan Avenue 5PM and packet pickup Sept. 13, 4-7 PM also at the SCIA Office and on the morning of the race at the start line. Finish line attendants to pass medallions, drinks & assist the timer 8:30AM—1PM. Award presentation assistance at Depot tent 10:30AM-1PM and teardown/cleanup volunteers at 1:30PM are also needed. Contact SCIA at 712-246-3455 or email chamber@sciaiowa.com to sign up to help.

         First aid and emergency services on the trail are provided by Shenandoah Medical Center EMS. The Wabash Trace Trail races are electronically chip timed. The marathon is USATF certified and a Boston Marathon qualifier. Bus transportation provided by Shenandoah Community School runs from Shenandoah to the half marathon start in Imogene. The City of Shenandoah helps with course marking, showers at the Memorial Armory, and traffic control along with county law enforcement. T-shirts, medals, snacks, and beverages at the finish including free beer for runners and volunteers by the Depot Restaurant. Award presentation includes railroad spikes engraved by Pella Corp. as trophies and hundreds of dollars in SCIA gift certificates that benefit Chamber businesses. Race results and photos are available on race day at www.onlineraceresults.com.

     This year runners will receive the wooden log medallions with leather strap created by local vendor Memories for Life and the teal and mint green t-shirt runners selected on a Facebook survey.

     Register to run online at www.getmeregistered.com (search Wabash or Shenandoah) or print the registration form at www.sciaiowa.com. Mail or drop off forms to Shenandoah Chamber & Industry Association, 619 W. Sheridan Avenue, Shenandoah, IA 51601. Entry forms are also available at SCIA and the Depot Restaurant. Last day to register is September 11^th or at packet pickup on Sept. 13^th in person with the race timer.

     The marathon and relay start and finish in Shenandoah in front of the Historical Museum on Sheridan Avenue. Ninety percent of the race is run on the beautiful Wabash Trace Nature Trail, which is a mostly flat, tree-lined converted railroad line crossing through the scenic Iowa countryside with a crushed limestone surface. The trail provides a cool shaded long run on a cushioned path.

     Relay team divisions are co-ed, female, and male. September 14, 7:30 am is start time for the marathon and relay in downtown Shenandoah and an 8:00 am start for the half at Imogene’s St. Patrick Church. There is a 6 Hour time limit for this out and back course. The finish line closes at 1:30 p.m. Walkers are encouraged to sign up for the half marathon. Entry fees are nonrefundable and nontransferable.

     For more information contact SCIA at 712-246-3455 or visit the website at www.sciaiowa.com.