Dipsea Stairs Dedication Ceremony October 20
The second flight of the Dipsea Stairs
The Dipsea Race Foundation is hosting a special ceremony on Saturday, October 20, to officially dedicate the renovated second flight of the famed Dipsea Stairs in Mill Valley.
The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. on Marion Avenue at the foot of the second of three flights totaling 680 steps rising from Old Mill Park to Sequoia Valley Road at Edgewood Avenue. The refurbished second flight, consisting of approximately 200 steps, leads to Hazel Avenue and the third flight.
This event signifies completion of the final stage of the Dipsea Race Foundation’s Dipsea Stairs Renovation project that started in 2007 with the remodeling of 151 steps on the third flight. Renovation of the first flight of approximately 300 steps from Cascade Way to Millside Lane was finished in 2011.
Fundraising for the Dipsea Stairs Renovation Project was accomplished by soliciting sponsors to make tax-deductible donations to purchase personalized bronze plaques that are attached to each step of the stairs. The Dipsea Race Foundation is a charitable non-profit (501(c) 3) corporation whose mission is “to inspire our community and beyond to support the tradition of the Dipsea Race, the maintenance of the Dipsea Trail, and the legacy for current and future generations.” It was established in 1997 to protect and promote the annual Dipsea Race and the values it represents.
For the dedication ceremony on October 20, the Mayor of Mill Valley, Stephanie Moulton-Peters, has been invited to speak as well as Mill Valley City Manager James McCann, Dipsea Race Foundation chairman Merv Regan, and former DRF board member Eric Ellisen, who served as project manager for all three phases of the renovation project, Dipsea Hall of Famer Mary Etta Boitano Blanchard, the female winner of the Dipsea race in 1973 at the age of 10, who sponsored two steps in project, Dipsea Hall of Famer and step sponsor Barbara Robben, 85, wh has competed in 44 Dipsea Races, and Dipsea Race Director Edda Stickle, who has served in that role for the past 18 years.
The 109th Dipsea Race will be held on Sunday, June 10, 2019.