Cheese Town Challenge

07/04/2026

and rather than tacking this on at the end of a long post, a seperate one seemed like a better idea.
after some deliberation (my guess, as i was not at the meeting), bay area runners club (barc) kicked in about another $500 to the proceeds from this year's cheesetown challenge races to bring the total to $1500 to plow into the pinconning community.
with the suggestion from the chamber, and barc liking all of them, these three organizations will get $500 each.

pinconning arts council
pinconning united soccer club
pinconning youth league organization

thanks again to all of you, and we'll see you next year.

07/04/2026

the thanks come a little late this year, but for good reason.
first off: cheesetown is just another dumb race through the streets without the benefit of our sponsors:
Wilson's Cheese Shoppe - always first in line with support. these guys provide the cheese plate for the St. Pat's expo, half of the award cheese, and half of the cheese-for-participants. then there are all the things ryan kleinhans (owner) does behind the scenes to help this bedraggled race.
Pinconning Cheese Company - always jockeying for first to support with Wilson's. half of the award cheese and half of the cheese-for-participants come from here. and brian saha (owner) is always there on standby should this bedraggled race director get stuck.
Williams Cheese Company - sheri budnick (head matriarch in charge) is always happy to throw in all the cheese spreads for the runners, proving to be quite popular.
Town & Country Supermarket - all those fruits the runners need on a day that is usually hot and unbearable comes from here. erich sammons (store manager) is always gracious to deal with.
pinconning rotary club - always there with a smile, fruit, and cheese for the participants just past the finish line. and the kids love their cookies from them, so i've heard. a rock of volunteerism since i think the start of the cheesetown challenge.
pinconning and fraser fire department - the runners and walkers of cheesetown absolutely love these guys because they keep the cars off the course, even if they need to get a little persnickety with some drivers. they take the safety of the participants seriously, and we can't thank them enough.
my volunteers amanda mussell, brain cowart, jadyn gould, and jacob miller - day of registration could have been complete chaos without them, and getting water inside of people as well as the rain providing the water for the outside would have been difficult.
and, finally, the Pinconning Linwood Area Chamber of Commerce led up this year by tara marczak - the communications between the city and me have been very smooth and responsive, which really helps in getting this event pulled off, as well as bringing the festival as a whole to fruition.
hope to see yous next year.

06/20/2026

LAST CALL!

the race is on unless tornados sweep through the area or thor and his thunderous acolytes camp out on us.

do you have some serious FOMO going on? of course you do! get to the boys and girls club between 4pm and 5.45 pm to sign up for the 2-mile run or walk ($30/$35), the 5 mile run ($30/$35), or do the iron cheese ($40/$45)! we even have a few extra shirts still, so i wouldn't hesitate to snag one of these adorable, silky shirts. you will be the envy of everyone!
of course, there is always room for more little meeces to join ($5/$15). they get special medals, and cookies! not sure if marvin or colby will be on-hand, but they'll definitely get a d***y race director to send them off.

be there, or be square!

06/19/2026

Did you miss the cutoff for the on-line registration for the cheesetown challenge?
FEAR NOT!
you have two more chances to get signed up, both of them in-person.
the penultimate one is tonight at the pinconning community center from 17.00 to 19.00. $30-$40 without a shirt; $35-$45 with, but there are only a few extras that were ordered, so if you really want one, i recommend getting to the community center tonight. you can also sign up your young'uns for the little meeces races: $15 with a shirt, $5 without (same story on those shirts as well).

for those who already registered, you can pick up your package tonight, if you don't want to deal with my chaotic clownshow tomorrow evening.

there will also be previous years' shirts available. some have been modified for my amusement and perhaps your pleasure
and while you are at the center, bring a 10-spot for the mac-and-cheese contest.

06/15/2026

This Friday! Come for late registration, packet pickup and get some tasty Mac & Cheese while you're here!

06/04/2026

Confirmed a couple of days ago, another sponsor for the cheesetown challenge: Linwood's Williams Cheese Company! Known for their spreads (which they will provide again this year), Williams also has cheese remnants, which as I can personally arrest, make for some out-of-this-world macaroni and cheese. They also have smoked cheese and Amish butter and a giant cow out front, among other items. Stop by there on your way to the race, to pick up some items to munch on while you watch the fireworks Saturday evening after running. Or go there any other day just because you want to support your local cheesemonger.

And don't forget, today is the last day you can guarantee yourself a shirt, so get signed up today. You've procrastinated long enough!
https://cheesetownchallenge.itsyourrace.com/event.aspx?id=16267

06/02/2026

We have another sponsor for the cheesetown challenge! Our friends at Town & Country Supermarket are supplying the finish line goods for the runners. Get your watermelon, grapes, bananas after working up a lather from running around in the heat. Or stop by there before the races to get whatever groceries your significant other told you to get while you were out. It's just a little south of our start/finish line. Or swing by after to get fireworks watching snacks and drinks. Or just stop by because you want to support a local business.
Also, you only have until Thursday night to guarantee a shirt if you want one. Get signed up now!
https://cheesetownchallenge.itsyourrace.com/event.aspx?id=16267

05/24/2026

hey, you!
it's been a while, but here we are a few short weeks away from the challenge and we could always use more runners and walkers. basically anyone willing to move their feet.
so, get to the signup page and get your name included, maybe even buy the adorable shirt drawn up by our local artist, printed by a local shop, backed by local cheesemongers, so that the money can get plowed back into the local community.
be there....colby square!

ok, i am not as good with the cheese puns as marty schultz.

Saturday, Jun 20, 2026

03/22/2026

just a reminder that if you wanted to get 2025 prices for this year's race, sign up today using the code WILSONS. you wait after midnight on 22mar, you 'll be stuck with 2026 prices. so don't hesitate and get signed up for a cheesy good time. TODAY! i mean RIGHT NOW!

Saturday, Jun 14, 2025