Member News

The Tower to Town 10-mile Trail Run brought in a record 200 racers this year, for the second annual race hosted by The Lebanon Valley Conservancy and Community Health Council of Lebanon County.

Mayor Sherry Capello and special guest, John Wengert, helped to kick off the race at the Clarence Schock Memorial Park Nature Center. Individuals and relay teams ran the rocky grounds of the park, picking up the smoother path of the Lebanon Valley Rail Trail, and finishing the decent into town at Optimist Park. After crossing the finish line, participants celebrated with music, food and drinks.

“The race is a really great opportunity for us to showcase the forested trails of Mount Gretna, the Lebanon Valley Rail Trail (LVRT), historic Cornwall and the city of Lebanon. Runners came from Lancaster, Hershey, York, Mechanicsburg…we even had a few from Maryland,” shared Nicole Maurer, executive director of the Community Health Council of Lebanon County and Tower to Town race director.

The first place overall winner of the 2019 Tower to Town was Luis Miranda of Lebanon. Miranda set a course record of 56:28. The first place female overall winner was Olivia Guilbert of Lebanon with a time of 1:10:11. The first place overall relay team was Christopher Torrente and Gina Dansak of North Huntingdon. The team completed the run in 1:19:04. Results for additional age brackets can be found at pretzelcitysports.com
The event raised almost $6,000 for the John E. Wengert Memorial Park. “The park is going to be a unique recreational area for Lebanon County… and the plan includes environmental education as well,” explained Laurie Crawford, executive director for The Lebanon Valley Conservancy. “The park will be located along Chestnut Street in Lebanon, across from Lebanon Catholic School,” added Crawford.

The design portion of the park project is currently underway, with plans of beginning phase 1 (of 3) of construction next year. The first phase includes a park information kiosk, pavilion, parking area, as well as fitness stations and improvements to the LVRT trailhead. Future phase plans will incorporate additional trails, native plantings, an amphitheater and a playground. Individuals or businesses interested in supporting the park project or making a donation can visit www.TLVC.org or call (717) 273-6400.