Philippi to host ADT 250 Relay

The Philippi Convention & Visitors Bureau has joined forces with the planning team of the American Discovery Trail 250 Relay (ADT) that will be going through Philippi on Wednesday, November 11 beginning at 9:00 am at the Barbour County Historical Museum.

The planning team has lined up local participants who will carry a relay baton, holding a rolled a copy of the Declaration of Independence, through town from the Museum to the City limits where other relay participants from across the state and the country will take the baton to Blackwater Falls. The Philippi path is part of the national relay that began on the 4th of July crossing the Golden Gate Bridge in California and will end on Thanksgiving Day in Delaware.

As part of the Philippi path, the planning team invites all residents to join in the walk/run/bike through Philippi. To date, walkers will carry the relay baton and will be joined by runners, a rider on horseback, and, it is hoped, children on bicycles. Children who are interested in riding their bikes are encouraged to decorate the bikes in red, white, and blue and to arrive at the Museum at 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 11. Parents are welcome to accompany their children on the walk through town. Since the relay falls on Veteran's Day, the team hopes veterans and their families will join in the morning's relay.

Also partnering with the ADT, the CVB, and the planning team are the City of Philippi and Midtown on Main at 17 N Main Street in Philippi. The City will provide a police cruiser to lead the group through town. Midtown on Main will provide breakfast snacks and drinks to participants in the relay.

The 6,800 mile relay is a celebration of America's historic sites, dozens of ecosystems, and the hundreds of communities on the relay's map. According to the ADT web site (www.discoverytrail.org), the relay is also a celebration of the American Discovery Trail. The trail passes through 15 states as well as near 40M people.

To see the entire route, visit the ADT web site. "Everyone is invited to join in the relay through town or to line Philippi's Main Street and cheer on participants at 9 a.m," says the planning team. Residents can also find updates on Facebook through the event titled "American Discovery Trail 250 Relay - Philippi Veteran's Day Celebration."