Alpine Village Volkswanderung, 5K or 10K

ALPINEHELENVOLKSMARCH.ORG Presented by the Alpine Helen Volksmarch Club (AHVC), a non-profit 501c3 organization, aimed primarily at promoting “Bavarian-style walking and hiking activities” that build a healthy lifestyle and German oriented culture in our community. Our annual marquee event, the Volkswanderung 10k hike and 5k walk, “Bavarian Biergarten Style Festival”, and huge prize drawing, is held on the fourth Saturday of April every year in beautiful Helen, Georgia. A Special Thank You to our Community Partners and Event Sponsors - We could not do it without them! Community Partners Since our club is a certified non-profit, our charter allows us to accept membership fees and donations to fund our operations and promote events costs, accordingly, we must rely heavily on local business donations and volunteers. Our small club receives no funding from the AVA and has no paid administrative staff. However, we are so very fortunate to enjoy donations and “In Kind” assistance from local businesses, organizations, and individuals in our community that strongly endorse our club’s vision and goals to help build the Alpine culture in Helen. Platinum Partners Bodensee Restaurant Mountain Lakes Resort Sautee Websites Gold Partners Carniola Alpine Bee Keeping Helen Chamber of Commerce Helen Rotary Club Helen Welcome Center Loreley Condominiums and Resort Silver Partners Heidelberg German Restaurant Promotional Sponsors Much appreciation also to our many Helen area “Promotional Sponsors” for helping to fund our events and the big Bavarian Fest following our marque walking and hiking event each year. The addition of a big festival event represents the type of biergarten celebrations that often follows such walks in Europe, and especially so in villages in Bavaria, southern Germany. Our Sponsors provide direct assistance in funding this special “Fest Event”, which includes costs for advertising, promotional signage, a start-finish Biergarten at the Bodensee with German food and bier, commemorative 2025 walk pins, prize drawings items/donations, T-shirts (if available), “Swag Bags” (full of additional promotional items), German band, servers, etc. We could not fund this annual “One of a Kind” Volkswanderung Fest in an Alpine Village like Helen without our sponsors and we are so very thankful for each and every one of them. Summit Seekers Bavarian Clockworks Hofbräuhaus Restaurant & Pub Spice 55 Thai and Sushi Restaurant Trailblazers Alpine Pizza Garden Bangkok Haus Restaurant Betty’s Country Store Bigg Daddys Restaurant Cool River Tubing and Adventures Hansel and Gretel Candy Heidelberg German Restaurant Helendorf River Inn & Conference Center La Cabaña Mexican Restaurant Unicoi Lodge and Park Trail Hikers Café International Restaurant Chattahoochee Dog Haus Christoff’s Village Pirates Cove Adventure Golf Information and Directions START LOCATION (Walk and Hike): Bodensee German Restaurant Biergarten - Registration 64 Munich Straße Helen, Georgia 30545 *Dogs: Friendly dogs on a leash are allowed on the walk with registered walkers. Please pick up your pet’s waste along the way. START TIME: You can register at the Bodensee Biergarten and start the 5k walk or 5k/10k hike anytime between 7:30 AM to 10:00 AM, Saturday morning, April 26, 2024. FINISH TIME: 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM at the Bodensee Biergarten. AVA Walk books will be stamped and the festival begins at approximately 12 noon. 3/2/25 DISTANCES: The distance to the Unicoi Lodge and back on the Helen to Unicoi trail is 10k (6.2 miles) and has a rating of “3C”, (inclines on established hillside trail). The hiking trail is marked with both orange trailblazer markers and AHVC signs starting at the trailhead located at the Unicoi Hill park in Helen, GA. There, you will see the beautiful trout streams and spectacular views along the foothills in Unicoi State Park. Water and restrooms are available at the Unicoi Lodge checkpoint before returning to Helen on the same marked trail. The Unicoi Lodge also features a convenience store and restaurant which is available for hikers who would like a break before their return hike. The total walking trail distance on the Hardman trail is 5k (3.1 miles) and has a rating of “1A”. The walking trail is mostly flat sidewalks and is suitable for wheelchairs and strollers. The trail starts at the edge of Alpine Helen and winds along the beautiful Chattahoochee River to the Hardman Farm State Historic site. Restrooms and water are available at the Hardman Visitor Center which is located just beyond the 5k mid-point turnaround. A map to guide hikers and walkers to the beginning of each trail will be provided during the event registration at the Bodensee Restaurant. ON SITE REGISTRATION FEES: Day of Hike/Walk (Please cash or check only!) Walk fee for IVV/AVA CREDIT ONLY: $5.00 AVA Registration fee per person. Children under 12 walk free but must be accompanied by an adult. Total Discounted Cost for “Registration and the BAVARIAN FEST PACKAGE” is only $25.00 per person. (Limited to the first 200 registered attendees). This includes the Registration Fee, a Volkswanderung 2025 Commemorative pin, a FREE raffle ticket for gift drawing at 2:00 PM, Bodensee Biergarten tickets for German bier & German food, and a Swag Bag full of other free goodies from local sponsors! REGISTRATION: Registration information is available for the hikers/walkers at the AHVC Website: www.alpinehelenvolksmarch.org or www.ava.org. The registration and walk cards will be on site at the Bodensee Biergarten on the day of the event. Look for the IVV/AVA/AHVC banners and the AHVC WALK Registration sign. STIPULATIONS: The walk event is open to everyone. Should the event be canceled due to severe weather, it will be rescheduled for Sunday, April 27, 2025, same time and location. DISCLAIMER: The presenters and sponsors are not liable for accidents, thefts, and/or material damage. Every effort will be made to make this a safe, enjoyable, and memorable event. Neither the AVA nor its subsidiary clubs are responsible for theft or loss of personal belongings or property. All participants must sign and date the AVA Official Event Start Card (Waiver) registration form prior to participation in the walk event. MISCELLANEOUS: Water will be free at the start/finish and checkpoint(s). Refreshments, bier (21 or over), Bavarian food, and music will be available at the finish for registered walkers with the Fest Package from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM at the famous Bodensee Restaurant. Please wear your lederhosen or Dirndls to help celebrate this great event! DOOR PRIZES & BIG RAFFLE: ALL Walkers finishing the ALPINE GERMAN-STYLE walk will be provided an opportunity to purchase tickets for prizes for the drawing in the finish area following the walk. Additional prize tickets can be purchased from AHVC volunteers for $5.00 each. Drawings will be at approximately 2:00 pm, and you must have your ticket to win. We expect to have thousands worth (in total value) in donated items and gift cards by local businesses for the drawing. Net proceeds from the prize drawings go to Helen Rotary Club for local charities. This year - “Circle of Hope Domestic Center”, White County, GA. ABOUT HELEN, GA: Helen, GA is located approximately 90 miles northeast of Atlanta, GA on route 75, (Helen Highway). Alpine Helen offers visitors a unique place to relax and enjoy the Bavarian village, mountains, trout streams, waterfalls, and more that 200 specialty stores, import shops and restaurants. Lodging is provided by over 1,100 quality rooms located in within Helen’s city limits. Helen, GA has now earned the position as one of the top tourist attractions, not only Georgia, but in the

southeastern USA. Please contact Helen Visitors Center for more information. Alpine Helen Visitors Center 726 Bruckenstrasse Helen, GA 30545 WEB Site: www.helenga.org PH (800)858.8027 Helen Chamber Information: WEB Site: www.helenchamber.com Alpine Helen Volksmarch Club (AHVC) is a 501(c)3 charity and a local AVA walking club affiliated with the AVA and is dedicated to promoting family wellness by sponsoring healthy walking & hiking events for the community. www.alpinehelenvolksmarch.org Helen Rotary Club is a nonprofit service organization affiliated with Rotary International USA. www.facebook.com/rotaryclubhelen This event is sanctioned by the American Volkssport Association (AVA), a member of the International Federation of Popular Sports (IVV). www.ava.org