Fourth annual Clovis Trail Fest gearing up for health-promoting event

Clovis Trail Fest, a free event for all ages, will feature activities, demonstrations, vendors, food trucks, and entertainment at over 25 locations along the Old Town and Dry Creek trails between Fifth Street and Dry Creek Park. PHOTO COURTESY OF GET FIT CLOVIS

For the men, women and children in the Clovis Community, if you are looking for a fun and healthy activity, look no further.

The Clovis Trail Fest will once again take place on the Old Town and Dry Creek Trails from 5th Street to Dry Creek Park and Railroad Park. Sponsored by the city along with numerous food, entertainment and wellness vendors, friends and families can enjoy a free community event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 4th.

“It’s a free event and everyone is welcome,” Moniqua Randolph said “We have food vendors and things for the kids to do. It is going to be a great time.”

In total, more than 35 locations along the three-mile trail will have snacks, food, live entertainment and refreshments for individuals taking part. Whether on a bike, scooter or on foot, everybody is welcome, including your four-legged friends.

Along with building a sense of unity throughout the community, the Clovis Trail Fest is a perfect opportunity to get some exercise, while also having some fun.

“We want to promote health and wellness here in Clovis. The Trail fest allows families to come out, enjoy a snack and some entertainment and exercise together,” Randolph said.

Not only are community members encouraged to join in for some fun, there are learning activities along the trail.

The Clovis Fire Department will be there giving hands-only CPR demonstrations, the Red Cross organization will provide you with information on disaster preparedness and the Clovis Police Department will be going over bicycle safety tips for the public.

Whether an adult or child, there are many life-saving and worth-knowing tips that can be learned from this event.

Along with the free tips from the professionals, there will be activities for kids and adults, along with a special visit from Miss Winkles Pet Adoption Trailer.

When on the trail, there are three different areas to get into the Trail Fest; at Railroad park, 5th Street and Cottonwood Park. Volunteers along the three-mile stretch will be assisting with information and other event-related tasks.

Whether you are wondering where a certain vender is, or where the nearest bathroom is, there will be someone there to help.

Although the Trail Fest is in the its fourth year, when asked about the origin of the event, coordinator Shonna Halterman mentioned the idea was born from retired Community Development Director Tina Sumner, during her trip around the world. After traveling through Mexico, Sumner stumbled upon an event in Guadalajara while blogging about her adventures.

What she found was a large walking festival that encompassed the community. The streets were closed, and the people were out and about having fun, including swinging in trees on ropes.

That event was taken into the lab and out came the Clovis Trail Fest, although, there are no rope swings in Clovis.

For the participants last year, there aren’t any noticeable changes, although there are more vendors than previous years.

“We have some more vendors this year, but there weren’t any big changes. We wanted to spread things out on the trail so there is more diversity throughout. We want everyone to enjoy something different when they are out there,” Randolph said.

After a large turnout last year, the Clovis Trail Fest can only look to grow. There wasn’t a headcount last time around, but this time, the number of participants will be taken down from on Clovis Ave and Sierra.

There might even be a drone capturing the events, so keep an eye out. You might make it on camera.

For the past three years, Nugesse has been a vital part of the Madera Tribune covering sports, news, entertainment and feature writing. Nugesse’s ability to interact with the community allows him to promote students, athletes and community members with fairness and objectivity. We are happy to have Nugesse join our team here at the Clovis Roundup.