Volksmarch.

Now there's a word Peachtree City residents

haven't heard for awhile.

German custom popularized in this country by

returning military families, a Volksmarch

(pronounce the first syllable "folks")

was simply a group of people out for a walk. The

only difference between a Volksmarch and just

walking to digest your Sunday dinner was that it

was at a previously agreed-upon time and became a

social event for families and neighbors.

Or

so one might conclude on casual observation. In

actuality, many Volksmarchers are members of

loose-knit clubs who know where 10K trails have

been identified and who keep personal distance

records by the honor system. They participate in

Year-Round-Events (YREs) on an individual basis,

periodically coming together for special

pre-planned events.

Earlier

in Peachtree City's history, groups from all over

would converge on its famous cart paths and spend

a Saturday or Sunday walking through piney woods

and wetland verges. Peachtree City will be the

site once again for a Volksmarch, this one part

of the Georgia Games set for July 22 and 23.

Bicycle Moto-Cross event will take place the same

weekend at the William L. Davis BMX Facility

here. Chuck Lear, who has racked up an impressive

12,000+ K in more than 1,000 such walks, is state

chairman for the event. This non-competitive

walk, like the YREs that individuals or small

groups do, is very relaxed, he said, and has few

rules and regulations. There are no restrictions

While

many Volksmarch courses are wheelchair

accessible, Peachtree City's is problematic for

its occasional rough paths, which are not

considered fully accessible as streets or

sidewalks would be. But persons in wheelchairs

certainly will not be turned away, Lear said.

Participants are encouraged to purchase record

books for $5 if they don't already have them, and

there is a modest registration donation, mostly

for record-keeping, but these expenditures are

not required.

Whole

families often walk, Lear said, with only a

parent officially logging kilometers. The

participation fee, however, does provide walkers'

insurance. "We're starting at the [Frederick

Brown Jr.] Amphitheater parking lot," Lear

said. "You can start any time between 8 a.m.

and noon, and you should be back by 2:30 to get

your [record] books stamped. But we're not strict

about the time.

"There's

really no way to guess how many people will be

here. We have anywhere from 70 to 100 that

usually come out for a walk - a lot depends

on the weather," he said.

The

route for the July Volksmarch is different from

either of the two YRE trails in Peachtree City.

Those begin at Braelinn Village Center, simply

because the Kroger there allows the Georgia

Walkers, a McDonough club, to keep its box inside

at the pharmacy. It contains all the instructions

and directions walkers need to follow a 10K

(six-mile) trail that brings them back to their

starting point.

With

enough K's logged, walkers send their records to

the national headquarters of the nonprofit

American Volkssport Association in Universal

City, Texas, to receive certificates. Pins

signifying milestones are issued and a regular

newsletter is available. "It's just a

personal thing," Lear said, "to keep

track of how many YREs or events you've done and

how far you've gone."

Lear

said Volksmarches occasionally feature a

"gimmick," such as walks in all 50

states, or in the 13 original colonies (which, of

course, include Georgia), or a lighthouse walk.

Local trails have particular attractions,

"of historic, scenic, or local pride,"

he said.

For

instance, towns like Newnan, McDonough and

Fayetteville, where the trail starts at the

Holiday Inn Express, route walkers through

historic residential areas. The trail in Helen,

Ga., makes it easy to stop at the Unicoi Lodge

for lunch and a nice break from a mountain walk.

Fort

McPherson, with lots of structures on the

National Register of Historic Places, offers an

historically interesting venue. Upcoming

adventures on a grander scale include walks in

Hawaii, Australia, ancient Mediterranean islands,

and the Alps, according to a pamphlet distributed

"The

whole thing is just to get people out," said

Lear, a Peachtree City resident whose club is the

McIntosh Trail Walkers. The Georgia Games, this

year celebrating its 10th anniversary, was

established by the governor's office. More than

12,000 athletes are expected to participate in

the championships. Although patterned after the

Olympics, it is not affiliated with the

international games, Lear said. "It is an

official state of Georgia function, with

districts throughout the state, and people

competing in different events."

Forty-three

events, to be exact, which include archery, arm

wrestling, badminton, fencing, judo, lacrosse,

mountain biking, rock climbing and table tennis,

as well as team sports like basketball, softball,

rugby and soccer. Oh, and "ultimate

Frisbee."

Many

of the sports have parallel events for persons in

wheelchairs. Volksmarching is the only event that

is non-competitive. Even though 32,000 people

participated in 160 district events leading up to

last year's championship competitions, the Games

are not well-known in the Atlanta area. Lear said

he believes that professional sports' domination

of Atlanta news draws recognition away from the

Games.

"The

summer Games were in Augusta last year," he

said, "and every night there was a big

write-up in the newspaper there, just pages and

pages." Lear noted that he needs volunteers

to help in July. They needn't be walkers; in

fact, their main responsibility will be to sit,

in the shade, stamping record books for walkers.

He promises a Georgia Games T-shirt to anyone who

gives five hours or more on either day, but said

he'd be grateful for just a couple of hours.

To

volunteer, or for further information and entry

forms for the Volksmarch, call Lear at

770-631-8543. The Games web site is at www.georgiagames.org ,

and the AVA site is at www.ava.org .

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