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There are some good volksmarches to choose from this weekend!

A very close walk for readers in the Kaiserslautern Military Community is the walk in Bruchmühlbach, west of Landstuhl. The sponsoring club, Wanderfreunde Miesau, is the sister club of the Ramstein Roadrunners. The two clubs work closely together in true international friendship. It would be nice for readers to attend this walk in an effort to support the Wanderfreunde Miesau, just as they turn out to support the Roadrunners. If you are new to volksmarching, look for a person wearing a Roadrunner t-shirt at this event and ask them to help you out.

The doors open at 7 a.m. both days. Cutoff time for starting the five- and 10-kilometer routes is 1 p.m.; noon is the cutoff for the 18-kilometer trail. This event is for IVV credit only.

Look for the blue flag of the Stuttgart German-American Wandering Club this weekend in Hildrizhausen. This is a Stammtisch walk for the club. Start all trails between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday. The prize is a B-medal.

Then on Sunday, many of the Stuttgart gang will board a bus for a trip to the volksmarch in Steinhöring. This event features routes of five, 10 and 20 kilometers, starting between 6:30 a.m. and noon both days. The prize is a decorative, hand-blown glass ornament in the shape of a fish. After the walk the club will head to Augsburg for some sightseeing. It’s going to be a busy weekend for the Stuttgart walkers and we’re sure they will have a blast!

The Ford automotive plant in Saarlouis, Germany, hosts its 41st annual volksmarch this weekend. The six-, 11- and 20-kilometer trails start Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. The 30-kilometer route starts Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. until noon. The start window for the marathon is 7 to 9 a.m. The six- and 11-kilometer trails are stroller friendly.

In keeping with its traditional model car souvenirs, this year you can take home a B-medal toy car from their leftover supply from years past. These are 1:43 scale Fords, like last year’s 2012 Ford F-1 Pick-up.

To reach the event, take the Saarlouis Steinrausch exit off Autobahn 8 if coming from Luxembourg or Saarbrücken. If driving from Kaiserslautern or Karlsruhe, take the Nalbach exit. Enter through gate four at the Ford Werk. Then look for Kantine Halle B. The gates to the Ford plant open at 6:30 a.m.

Another good walk this weekend is the one in Rodt, Belgium. Not too far from St. Vith, Rodt is in the heart of the beautiful Ardennes.

This walk is Sunday only, and that start window is a bit of a mystery. The flier we got does not state the start time window, but last year the start time was from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. So plan on starting earlier in the day rather than later, and you should be fine.

Farther afield, the Wiesbaden International Wandering Club is traveling to Groesbeek, Netherlands, for the big liberation walk. This weekend is the anniversary of Operation Market Garden during WWII, and, while the operation was not a complete success, it did result in the liberation of a good portion of the southern part of The Netherlands. The Groesbeek area was the scene of very heavy fighting and today has a very nice Liberation Museum. Your start card will allow you to visit this museum for free. This event is Sunday only.

As for us, as much as we’d love to make the trip to the Groesbeek walk, we are going to stay closer to home. We always enjoy the walk in Schinveld, Netherlands, and our local club, the Tri-Border Walking Club is kicking off a new year of walks starting in Schinveld. With luck, our Scottish Highlander “friends” will be out in the pastures and gliders will be taking off and landing at the glider field. If you are in the Tri-Border area this Sunday, plug “Broekstraat 2” in the trusty GPS to find the Cafe Im Weissen Roessl in Schinveld. We will rendezvous at 10 a.m. Parking is a challenge, so allow yourself some extra time to, “do a volksmarch to get to the volksmarch.” We hope to see you Sunday in Schinveld!

E-mail volksmarch information to two.walkers@yahoo.com. Mail brochures to Bob and Lorraine Huffaker, CMR 460, Box 278, APO, AE, 09752.

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