A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Cumberland Valley Rail Trail (CVRT) pedestrian bridge and trail extension connecting Shippensburg Township Park to Shippensburg University will be held on April 23 at 12:30 p.m.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony will be in conjunction with the 11th annual Race, Run, Ride and Ramble fundraiser. The fundraiser will bring together the community and benefit the Cumberland Valley Rails to Trails Council (CVRTC).

CVRTC is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization and relies on membership dues, contributions and fundraisers to develop and maintain the trail. Events leading up to the ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. at Shippensburg Township Park and include two running races, a bike ride, a hike, live music and lunch.

The bridge over Fogelsonger Road, which completes the last mile of the 11-mile Cumberland Valley Rail Trail, was installed March 24 and was made possible through a state grant. The new macadam trail extends to Earl Street.

“These developments on the Cumberland Valley Rail Trail provide fantastic new opportunities for the university in terms of attracting and retaining new students, enhancing potential academic, service-learning, and social activities and better connecting the university to the surrounding community,” said Allen Dieterich-Ward, associate professor of history and member of CVRTC, in a CVRTC press release.

The Shippensburg Rotary Club and Shippensburg Township are also developing a trailhead facility at Fort Street adjacent to Eckles Field. The facility will include restrooms and a concession area, and the work to create the facility will begin this summer.

For the past 19 years, CVRTC has developed and maintained the former railroad tracks with the trail which allows walking, jogging, biking, horseback riding and other recreational use. Their goal is to preserve the history and beauty of the Cumberland Valley.

Work is already underway for a new bridge and trail extension into Newville. A goal is set to extend the route another 11 miles into Carlisle.

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