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ELKINS -- The Highlands Trail Foundation will celebrate 25 years of service to the Randolph and Tucker County recreational trail communities with a ceremony Saturday in downtown Elkins.
The foundation, which was established in 1995, will also be recognizing the completion of the Allegheny Highlands Trail that runs from the Highland Park area into downtown Elkins.
"We had to cancel some events this year because of COVID-19, including our signature race event the Blackwater Canyon 1/2 Marathon," said founder and longtime president of the Highlands Trail Foundation Karen Carper. "We canceled a bike ride we usually do in September in Blackwater Canyon as well, and this event to dedicate the grand opening of the new section of trail called the Elkins Rail Trail Connector is now scheduled for a third time.
"The opening happens to come up on our 25th anniversary and that's something we want to focus on because we've been working on trail development in Randolph and Tucker County for 25 years, which is worthy of recognition."
The event is scheduled for 2 p.m. and is closed to the public. It will be available to watch via live stream on the organization's Facebook page, however. Board members and special guests representing the Randolph County Development Authority and West Virginia Division of Highways will be on hand.
"Having been our partner for 25 years, we are really indebted to the Randolph County Development Authority," Carper said. "We are very fortunate to have a partnership with them (RCDA) from the beginning. And we are also fortunate to have the West Virginia Division of Highways and their support.
"They (WVDH) brought funds from the Corridor H development and helped build the trail with the Corridor H funds, which was a great boost. If we would have had to go for grants to try and build this trail, it would have taken us more than 25 years to get as far as we've got."
The Highland Trail Foundation will observe its silver anniversary with a sign dedication at the pavillion behind the Elkins Depot Welcome Center. The sign will feature local railroad history and will direct visitors to the West Virginia Railroad Museum and the Elkins Depot.
"We are pleased to present that sign as part of the project," Carper said. "We now have 31 miles of trail completed, continuous from Elkins all the way to Hendricks. It's great to see how far the trail has come in the last 25 years."
The Highlands Trail Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating recreational and alternate transportation opportunities through development of a regional trail system in the Potomac Highlands of West Virginia. The Allegheny Highlands Trail from Elkins to Thomas is the backbone of that system.