Thursday, New Year’s Day, is the 14th Fred Meijer New Year’s Resolution Walk, put on by Friends of the White Pine Trail.

They assemble in front of the Rotary Pavilion in Rockford at 10 a.m. for a photo, then walk to 12 Mile Rd.  There is no distance requirement, so you can walk as far as you like.

According to Dave Heyboer, Chairman of the Friends of the White Pine Trail, volunteers will have refreshments available for the walkers when they return to the Rotary Pavilion. Items include brats, hot dogs, cookies, granola bars, coffee, hot chocolate, hot tomato soup, and instant cider, with the menu subject to change.

Heyboer said everyone is welcome, including controlled and well-behaved pets. There is no charge, but they will accept donations to help defer the cost of the event.

“The weather will be cold, possibly with snow. Come prepared for somewhat icy conditions, as the trail will not be salted or sanded,” advised Heyboer. “Please come on out for a great time!”

The Friends of the White Pine Trail are planning their 11th annual New Year’s Resolution walk this Sunday, January 1, 2012. While it now has a new name (the board decided to rename the walk the “Fred Meijer New Year’s Day Resolution Walk” to honor Fred Meijer), most of the details are similar to year’s past.
Meet at the Rotary Pavilion in the beautiful downtown Rockford at 10 a.m. on New Year’s Day. There will be a quick gathering in front of the pavilion for a few quick comments and pictures, and then it’s off to the trail to walk north to Twelve Mile Road (or whatever distance suits you best) and back.
The Friends will be serving refreshments upon your return in the pavilion. The pavilion is a good place to meet friends and get acquainted with other trail users.
Everyone is welcome!  Being a member of the “Friends” is not a requirement.
Dave Heyboer said they enjoy seeing a lot of people that have been brought out by their dogs for a great time. (Well behaved pets are welcome! )
If there is snow, the trail will be plowed but they will not be putting salt or sand on the trail, so be careful if there is a chance of ice.
If possible, please send an email to sheeepdog@msn.com so they will have a rough idea of how many people are likely to attend.
As a reminder to winter trail users, they will be plowing the trail from around the Fifth Third ball park in Comstock Park to the Russell Road Staging area this winter. This is done with the help of the City Rockford, who does the area from Rockford to Russell Road. “If you are on the trail when we come through plowing, please step off to the side of trail beyond the normally plowed area,” said Heyboer. “We are required to plow only 5-6 feet, leaving the other portion of the trail for cross-country skiing. We do not want to endanger someone out there and we must move swiftly to do the proper plowing.”
“If you encounter problems on the trail please let us know as soon as possible so we can address the problem,” he added. “Too many times we do not hear about issues as soon as they happen and we can only deal with that which we know about.”