On Sunday, April 24, from 1 to 5 p.m. at Southern Vermont College, students in the Sports Management program, in partnership with members of the Bennington Area Trail System (BATS), will host a kickoff event called “The Trail Mix” to create awareness of BATS’s multi-use trail systems. The event, to be held at SVC’s Everett Mansion, will include an outdoor portion with trail information, the opportunity to ride, run, hike or perform trail maintenance.

The mixer will feature the sale of pizza and local craft beer by Ramunto’s as well as musical entertainment by DJ Showtime. All in the community are invited.
Highlander Bicycle will offer a bike safety checkpoint. Participants are eligible for prize giveaways sponsored by Payless Shoe Source, Bennington Potters, Madison Brewing Co., Bennington Station and Subway. “SVC students and BATS are excited to bring the community together to enjoy the beautiful trails behind Southern Vermont College and in the Bennington area,” said Business Professor Jeb Gorham. “We hope to get a lot of people out here for this fun event to see what’s available to them.”

BATS is a non-profit organization and local chapter of the Vermont Mountain Bike Association. BATS advocates for sustainable multi-use single track trails for the enjoyment of area residents and visitors alike. SVC students have been working with BATS this semester as part of their Sports Management program.

For more information about sponsorship or the event in general, contact Event Coordinator DeShawn Hamlet and Professor Gorham: dhamlet@svc.edu, jgorham@svc.edu, 802-447-6382. For more information about the trail organization, please visit the BATS Facebook page. To learn more about SVC, visit svc.edu.