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Discovery Trail Relay comes to Golden Belt Saturday
American Discovery 250 Relay passes through area Saturday
Discovery Trail 250 Baton California
The American Discovery 250 relay began, July 1, at Point Reyes, California. Here are some photos of the batons....life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The batons will be traded off and shared when there are more people in a relay section than batons.

A coast-to-coast relay celebrating America's 250th birthday passes through Barton and Pawnee counties Saturday, and area residents can watch, cheer or join in along the route. As of 11 a.m. Thursday, a dozen participants are signed up for the Larned to Ellinwood leg.

The American Discovery 250 Relay covers nearly 60 miles Saturday, Sept. 19, beginning at 8:30 a.m. at Doerr Vernon Park in Larned and ending at the Historic Wolf Hotel in Ellinwood. The bike and run leg passes through Pawnee Rock, Great Bend and the Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area along the way.

The relay is part of a 6,800-mile journey along the American Discovery Trail from Point Reyes, Calif., to the Delaware coast, carrying a replica of the Declaration of Independence by baton the entire way. It launched July 1, crossed the Golden Gate Bridge on July 4 and is set to finish with a plunge in the Atlantic Ocean on Thanksgiving Day.

On any given day, between five and 50 participants may be carrying the baton, according to organizers. The relay is not a race or athletic competition, organizers emphasize, it is a celebration of American history, culture and nature, and all are welcome to take part.

Golden Belt Discovery Trail Relay route
Pictured is the scheduled route through the Golden Belt the American Discovery Trail 250 Relay will take on Saturday Sept. 19th.

Where to watch

Saturday's route follows the path of US-156 northeast from Larned through Pawnee Rock, zig-zagging on side roads and section lines north of the highway, before passing through Great Bend. From there, participants loop north through Cheyenne Bottoms before heading south into Ellinwood. Support stations are planned at Pawnee Rock, the Dillons in Great Bend and near Cheyenne Bottoms.

The lead baton carries a satellite tracker, and the public can follow the relay's progress in real time at maps.findmespot.com/s/SSQ7#live/assets. Kansas Trails Inc. is providing telephone updates on the baton's location at approximately 7 a.m., 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. daily at 913-214-2240.

How to participate

Runners, cyclists, hikers, wheelchair users and horseback riders are all welcome. Those interested are asked to register. Participants can carry the baton for as little as a mile or ride the full day's route. Registration is free at discoverytrail.org/america-250-relay. Relayers who contribute $30 or more become members of the American Discovery Trail Society.

The relay's Kansas stretch, dubbed the "Sunflower Stretch," began Sept. 15 and covers roughly 575 miles across the state over 10 days. It continues Sunday from Ellinwood through Lyons to McPherson and reaches Council Grove on Monday before crossing into Missouri on Sept. 24.

For more information, contact relay@discoverytrail.org or the American Discovery Trail Society at 800-663-2387. The full relay route map is available at discoverytrail.org/adt-relay-calendar.