Mon/Yough Trail Council to celebrate 30 years

By Mon Valley Independent

By JEFF STITT

jstitt@yourmvi.com

There’s a big celebration coming to the Boston trail head of the Great Allegheny Passage.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Mon/Yough Trail Council being established, and its members and volunteers want to commemorate the milestone with the people of the Mon-Yough Valley and beyond during a “3-in-1 outdoor event.”

The 30th anniversary celebration is slated for Sept. 18 along the Boston, Elizabeth Township portion of the trail.

MYTC board members met Thursday evening to review plans for the event and do a walk-through of the area where it will be held.

The Mon/Yough Trail Council is one of the original, all-volunteer nonprofit trail groups in Western Pennsylvania. All in one day, MYTC is planning to hold a fundraiser in the form of a bicycle ride, a community appreciation day celebration and a ceremony in honor of MYTC’s 30th birthday, according to event coordinator Ken Medved.

Yough-N-Roll

The MYTC board and the committee in charge of planning the 30th anniversary event invite guests to start the fun-filled day with the “Yough-N-Roll,” a family-friendly bicycle ride along the banks of the Youghiogheny River.

The bike ride is a fundraiser, and money raised allows MYTC to continue upkeep along the 15 miles of trail for which it is a steward. The organization maintains and promotes the GAP from the Westmoreland County line to McKeesport.

“That’s one of our main fundraisers,” MYTC President Tim Banfield said of Yough-N-Roll, which has been held by the trail group since the 1990s.

Money raised during Yough-N-Roll and from other fundraisers also helps cover the costs of beautification and capital improvement projects, as well as promoting the trail.

Those who hop on a bike for the Yough-N-Roll will get to see the lush canopy over the trail and the river, and might even get to take a gander at the wildlife that frequents the trail’s edges.

There is a 40-mile ride from Boston to Cedar Creek Park in Rostraver Township and then back to Boston, and there is a 20-mile ride from Boston to the trail head in Sutersville and back, but riders can choose their own pace and how far they want to ride. Registration will be from 7 to 8 a.m.

There will be fully stocked rest stops for Yough-N-Rollers, and there will be trail monitors in place to render aid to those who need it.

To learn more or to register, go to www.bostontrail.com. A limited number of people pre-registering for the bike ride will receive a commemorative T-shirt.

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