Here at last! The Happiest 5k on the Planet — The Color Run Racine — returns for a fourth year this Memorial Day Weekend. The holiday weekend fun also includes a chocolate celebration, a fun new art exhibit, a chance for star gazing and a bicycling pub crawl. Real Racine always has you covered.
In living color! The focus is on fun as The Color Run Shine Tour showers runners and walkers with bright color (food grade cornstarch) and glitter along a 5k course through the streets of Racine. It all gets started at 9 a.m. Saturday when skydivers from Skydive Midwest land at Pershing Park on the lakefront. The fun surprises continue from start to finish as participants wind their way through four color zones before finishing their run through clouds of glitter. A high-energy, after-race party kicks in at Pershing Park with music, dancing and color tosses. Don’t forget your camera or phone. Food, beverages and The Color Run’s exclusive merchandise will be available for purchase. Register at www.thecolorrun.com/racine
Four days of chocolate. ChocolateFest — the state’s sweetest annual festival — is all about the chocolate from Friday through Monday at 680 Maryland Ave., Burlington The chocolate action is at the Chocolate Experience Tent where the Chef Meltdown competition is Friday evening. The tent is also the place for chocolate sculptures, contests and family activities all weekend. You may purchase an $8 taster ticket to sample up to a dozen items. But, there is much more than chocolate. You’ll experience a carnival midway, live music, fireworks (Friday evening) and continuous entertainment. Festival hours are 4 p.m. to midnight Friday; 10 a.m. to midnight Saturday and Sunday; 12 to 7 p.m. Sunday. Friday night admission is $5 or five non-perishable food items. Regular gate admission is $8 adults; $3 kids ages 5 through 12. Details and the entertainment lineup at: www.chocolatefest.com
Superheroes and more. A new exhibition highlighting art, science fiction and fantasy opens at noon Sunday at the Racine Art Museum (RAM), 441 Main St. “A Whole Other World: Sub-Culture Craft” includes themes of Doctor Who, Star Wars, Super Heroes and Steampunk. The exhibition runs through Sept. 6. RAM is open daily except Mondays and holidays. See a preview at www.ramart.org
See the stars. A fine reason for stargazing is at hand. The free monthly open house at Modine-Benstead Observatory, 112 63rd Drive, Yorkville (just off Highway A) runs from 8 to 11 p.m. Friday. The Racine Astronomical Society invites everyone to look through the huge telescopes at the moon, stars and planets. Members will be on hand to answer your questions. Please call ahead to check on weather conditions: 262-878-2774. www.rasastro.org
Pedaling for pints. A different kind of “pub crawl” is set for Thursday starting at 6:30 p.m. Thirsty Third Thursday, with 3rd Coast Bicycles, invites bicyclists to ride through the city with stops along the way. Meet at Carriage House Liquor, 220 State St. This month’s stops are the Brass Monkey, Ivanhoe Pub and Eatery, Coasters and envi Ultra Lounge. The evening wraps up at envi with live music from Matt Meyer from 9 p.m. to midnight.
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