Registration opens for 40th annual Bloomsday

Early entrants could win iPad mini-4

There are four months until the 40th annual Lilac Bloomsday Run, and to help fortify New Year’s resolutions to get in shape, early bird registration for Bloomsday is now open at http://www.bloomsdayrun.org. Those who sign up by February 7 will have a chance to win one of three Apple iPad mini-4 tablets, courtesy of Strong Solutions, an Apple authorized reseller and service provider at 1718 E Sprague Ave.

“Someone once said that life begins at 40,” says Lilac Bloomsday Association President Steven Jones. “At Bloomsday, we’re getting ready to celebrate this milestone in a big way. We’ll have 40 bands along the course to provide inspiration and some nifty giveaways for 40 finishers. Being 40 also gives us pause to look back when this all started in 1977 and marvel at what it has become. We are particularly proud of the 92 people, our perennials, who have completed each of the prior Bloomsdays.”

Everyone who enters Bloomsday online through February 7 will be automatically entered in the iPad mini drawing. The iPad mini has the Touch ID fingerprint sensor, a 7.9-inch Retina display, a powerful A7 chip with 64-bit architecture, an iSight camera, a FaceTime HD camera, fast wireless, iOS 9, iCloud and up to 10 hours of battery life. It also comes with great apps for productivity and creativity. The iPad minis are being offered by Strong Solutions, which specializes in sales, service and repair of Apple products, also offering classes, in-home and on-site service, consulting and solutions.

Those signing up for Bloomsday will also have the opportunity to add a donation to the Salvation Army of Spokane, which has been selected as Bloomsday’s official charity for 2016. The Salvation Army of Spokane, which is marking its 125th year in our region, serves more than 40,000 individuals each year by helping homeless and other families in crisis, providing food for the hungry and offering educational and social service programs to the most vulnerable people in our community.

“Bloomsday welcomes the Salvation Army of Spokane as our official charity in 2016,” says Jones. “Adding a donation to your Bloomsday entry will help the Salvation Army continue its work with individuals and families to promote stability, help families rebuild their lives and live independently and to foster the self-respect and dignity of all people served.”

The 40th Bloomsday will be Sunday, May 1, 2016. Full Bloomsday details will be released in early March, at which time printed entry forms will be available at locations throughout the Inland Northwest.