A Different Kind of 5K Arts Move My Sole 5K offers arts and entertainment on the run

"Employees of the City of Winston-Salem and the County of Forsyth  have teamed up with The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County to present a 5K and Fun Run that offers arts and entertainment every step of the way.  The Arts Move My Sole 5K and One Mile Fun Run, to be held Saturday May 17 at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds, benefits The Arts Council’s 2014 Annual Campaign.

Runners will be entertained by musical performances at each kilometer of the certified route, greeted by visual artists at the finish line, and treated to a culinary arts experience after the award ceremony.  Unique, hand-crafted pottery plates have been created especially for the event and will be given as prizes. 

A focus of the Arts Council’s  2014 campaign is the concept of Arts & Health and Arts & Healing. Food Network Celebrity Chef Curtis Aikens – Calling all Chefs and Pick of the Day – will give a presentation from 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. on healthy eating, emphasizing fruits and vegetables. His cooking demonstration will feature fresh items from the Dixie Classic Farmer’s Market and audience members will have an opportunity to try the foods at the end of the demonstration.  Chef Aikens is sponsored by Novo Nordisk as part of their culinary arts presentation on healthy eating for diabetes prevention and management.

Catherine Heitz New, Vice President of Development for The Arts Council, said that a 5K that emphasizes health and wellness was a natural fit for the campaign.  “Increasingly, we are seeing the role that the arts are playing in the healing process. Arts can play a vital role in the recovery process.  Patients are able to express feelings and anxieties through a variety of art forms, which can help with a calming effect.”

Award categories: 19 & younger (M/F), 20-29 (M/F), 30-39 (M/F), 40-49 (M/F), 50-59 (M/F), 60 & older (M/F)

Event schedule and times:

Online Registration is available at www.intothearts.org and will end at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 14. Mail-in registration forms are available at Omega Sports and Fleet Feet of Winston-Salem.  Registration discounts are only available through May 3 and on-site registration is available at packet pick-up at Omega Sports and on-site at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds, directly before the event.  T-shirts are guaranteed to the first 500 entries.

One Mile Fun Run: 8:30 a.m.
5K Run or Walk: 9:00 a.m.

Diabetes Awareness Presentation 10:00 a.m.

Awards Presentation: 10:15am
Culinary Arts Presentation: 10:30 a.m. (Food will be served to audience members.)

The Timing Company for the event is the Twin City Track Club

Winston-Salem’s robust arts community accounts in large part for the recognition it continues to receive as a great place to live, work and play.  The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, the first locally established arts council in the United States, enriches the lives of area residents every day. It raises funds and advocates for the arts, sponsors events in conjunction with other arts organizations, promotes and funds arts education, creates cultural opportunities, develops social capital and aids economic development.  In 2013, The Arts Council made Organizational Support Grants to 19 Funded Partners totaling $1,675,000 and other grants brought the total awarded to $1,905,000."

Submitted by Katherine Bowman, The Arts Council