Over 240 runners colored the streets of Mansfield during the Abstract Dash on Saturday. The Mansfield Art Center hosted the race as a fundraiser, an event that appropriately for the art center, was presented in living color.
Each participant was given a plastic bag filled with fine, colored powder to toss in the air at the start of the race. After getting dusted with a color at the start, the runners encountered five other color stations along the way. Volunteers stood by the sides of the roads and tossed the colored powder at the runners.
Kate Earhart and Naomi Devore were among color-dusted participants.
Earhart stated, “We always wanted to do one of these races.”
This was Devore’s first 5K. “Kate invited me, and I figured it would be a good way to spend time with her before her wedding in two weeks,” said Devore.
Mother and daughter team Laurie and Mary Mistretta also participated in the race.
“It was a really fun event. We wanted to do it for fun and fitness. This will be our third 5K,” said the mother. And Laurie Mistretta added, laughing, “It’s our third race in three years. We try to keep it to one 5K a year.”
Brian Bacin, a Board of Trustees member at the Mansfield Art Center and coordinator of this event stated, “We’re trying to focus on bringing the art center back to the public eye and show that we’re relevant with modern times.”
This was the first year for the Abstract Dash and there is a possibility of more in the future. “We would like to host this race annually and grow it into something even more artistic and unique,” said Bacin.
“We have some interesting ideas for upcoming events, which will hopefully make some more variety,” said Bacin.
The annual Yart Sale was held in conjunction with the Abstract Dash. Art was available for purchase, including paintings, drawings, ceramics, and among other hand-crafted items and all of the proceeds of the sale benefitted the center.
Matt Huffman, an art center board member said, “We wanted to cross market these events in order to help boost sales with all of the traffic from the Abstract Dash.”
