OTTUMWA — Walking on paved trails, bicycles, a bridge dedication and a jog-a-thon. What connects these activities?

The answer is the Wapello County Trails Council Mediathon, which will be 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday at Bridge View Center. The event is the council’s annual fundraiser.

The Saturday morning activities will include community hikes at 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. around the one-mile loop in front of Bridge View, a dedication ceremony of the Wabash Bridge at the south end at 11 a.m. and a Jog-A-Thon for middle school students at noon.

Hikers should meet in the Bridge View Center’s lobby. There will be also be entertainment at Bridge View throughout the morning.

Trails Council President Kim Hellige said funds raised each year are used to match state and federal grants to pave trails, with a goal of paving an eight-mile looped trail along the north and south levees of the Des Moines River.

This trail will extend from Turkey Island (north of Ottumwa Water & Hydro’s dam) to Gray Eagle Nature Preserve (along U.S. Highway 34 on the southeastern edge of Ottumwa.

Hellige said this year’s fund drive will complete the north levee section from Vine Street to Gray Eagle Nature Preserve and the sections of a 3.4 mile south loop along the south levee and Madison Avenue.

Incorporated in 2006, the council has raised more than $500,000 to pave trails. Cost of paving is about $35 per linear foot.

Mediathon sponsors include the Ottumwa Courier, KLEE/KOTM and KMGO/KELR. To make a pledge on Saturday, call (641) 684-4455; or, download a pledge form at wapellocountytrails.com and mail it with your donation to Wapello County Trails Council, P.O. Box 1673, Ottumwa, Iowa, 52501.

Hellige said checks should be made payable to the Wapello County Trails Council. All donations are tax-deductible. For information, contact her at (641) 682-8626;

All of the above pertains to Saturday. But, you might want to get in on Iowa’s Bike to Work Week, which started last Saturday and ends this Friday.

Friday is Ottumwa’s Bike to Work Day. Mark Smoot of the Trails Council said there will be four Energizer Stations available to riders 6:30-9:30 a.m. Friday. At these stations, riders can take a break, get some snacks and drinks, pick up biking and trail information and talk to other experienced riders about bike commuting.

Stations will be at Riverside Cyclery, the Ottumwa YMCA, Herberger’s and John Deere Ottumwa Works. There will also be a few treats from local businesses available for those who ride.

“The trails council encourages everyone who is able to ride their bicycle to work at least one day during this week,” Smoot said. “Plan ahead. On a bicycle you may not want to ride the same route you drive every day. Look for suitable alternative routes, like Ottumwa’s new trails.”

A bicycle can go places a car can’t. The Trails Council has opened new trails that you may want to try, including the newly re-decked and lighted Wabash Bridge.