No Blarney - there will be shenanigans going on in the Ranch on St. Patrick's Day!
A shamrock of three big events will be held on March 17, 2007 with the help of the Highlands Ranch Community Association-the kick-off of the Highlands Ranch Run Series with the St. Patrick's Day Run 5K Run/Walk and celebration, the Grand Opening of Redstone Park Tennis Center, and the play-off Tournament for the Association's Youth Basketball Program. St. Patrick won't have time to drive the snakes out of the Ranch on St. Patrick's day, he'll be too busy running, playing tennis, basketball or watching the goings-on!
First stop, top of the morning, CivicGreenPark at HighlandsRanchTownCenter for the 2 nd annual St. Patrick's Day 5K Run/Walk. Be sure to arrive in time for the 9:00 am Race start, 10:00 am Kid's Fun Run and then celebrate all day! Sure to be fun, this event kicks off the Highlands Ranch Run Series that will provide one event in the Ranch per month through September of 2007. After the run, everyone can enjoy Irish Step Dancers, face painters and more. Purchasing breakfast and coffee or an after race snack at Lansdowne Arms will help support the beneficiary of the run, the HighlandsRanchParks and Recreation Foundation. To find out more information visit
www.highlandsranchrunseries.com or stop by the Run Series booth at the Run and meet the staff! Heath Adcock, Run Series Director and Kristi Fitzgerald, Run Series Specialist can give you all the blather on how to keep your runners jammy for all the races.
Next, travel a few miles to Redstone Park Tennis Center (RPTC) for the Grand Opening of the seasonal tennis program! A barbershop quartet led by Ron Kientz will sing the National Anthem to start the day at 9:30 a.m. and will offer roving entertainment throughout the event. Offered by the HRCA in conjunction with the Highlands Ranch Metropolitan District, the tennis program Grand Opening is sure to be a St. Patrick's favorite with tennis greenery and the chance to try your luck at free prizes, free adult and children's drills, free use of the ball machine and free refreshments. Demonstration equipment will be available from a shamrock of Tennis manufacturers including Vokl, Babolat, and Prince. Kids will enjoy free balloons and a performance from Reddy the Clown. For more information, visit
www.hrcaonline.org or
www.highlandsranch.orgThe RPTC team will be on hand for the hooley. No knick-knacking, just a great time to say, "Howya!" to Mike Shellman, Frank Adams, Cory Vargus, Claude Hemsi, Marianne McCauley, Liz Brewka and Bob Posley.
And, finally, Irish eyes will be smiling on all the youth basketball players hitting the courts for the final tournament of the HRCA's Youth Basketball Program! Home to nearly 1600 players this season, the final tournament caps hours of practice and play. Games will be played at the Recreation Centers of Eastridge and Southridge on St. Patrick's Day weekend. All games are semi-final or championship games. Bob Wiersma, HRCA Athletic Coordinator, and Adam Laughlin, Sports Specialist will be counting on the blarney stone to bring luck, good fortune, and good sportsmanship. For tournament schedules visit Sport Tracker at
www.hrcaonline.org. For more basketball fun of the shamrock variety, 3 on 3 Youth Basketball for 9 -13 year olds will start practice the last two weeks in June with games starting in early July. Don't test your luck on getting in this league--registration starts on April 1 st.