An organization focused on rehabilitating one of the oldest landmarks on the Central Coast, the Atascadero Printery Foundation (APF), will host the first Annual Tent City Marathon. The fundraising event will feature multiple running distances from a full marathon that will take participants from the Atascadero Printery into Templeton and back down to an ‘easy’ 5K run. There will also be a No Run Fun option for those who just want to participate in the festivities. There will be free race photos and a beer or cupcake waiting for the athletes at the finish line.
The event will feature live music, local food and beer and “the latest in running fitness resources” at Atascadero’s central park, Sunken Gardens. There will also be “on-course entertainment, multiple on-course aid stations, post race live music and a racers TLC tent for Post Mileage Yoga, foam roller area, and massage,” according to their website.
“It will be a great day, an opportunity to bring many people from all over together to support a great cause,” said Karen McNamara, president and founder of the APF. “We want everyone to see the Printery building as it is, but see that our community is rising up to make it beautiful and useful again. The Printery Foundation is so grateful for all the efforts of Vitality Fitness for hosting the races, and all the sponsors and volunteers. We encourage everyone to get involved!”
The Atascadero Printery located at 6351 Olmeda was the first building to be constructed in the City in 1915. It sits on an acre of land and is approximately 18,000 square feet. McNamara maintains that without it, there might not be an Atascadero. When E.G. Lewis founded the community, he used the location to print his magazine the Illustrated Review. The publication, which could be purchased for a nickel or $0.50 for a year subscription, was shipped worldwide. The press brought in revenue, workers and even the train to the area in order to ship items the building produced. The building also printed the first Atascadero News in 1919.
“It was the big vitality of this community,” said McNamara, “and if they didn’t have the Printery they would not have been able to pull this off.”
Currently the organization is focused on its first goal, which is to restore the windows to keep out both weather and wildlife. The cost would be $12,000 with 60 windows to replace at $200 a pop. The APF also plans to hire a fulltime security guard for the property. Local young deviants have been feuding with the rightful owners by breaking in and destroying property. The APF installed security cameras and barred doors to keep the hoodlums out. Once the windows are completed, the APF will submit its Historic and Restoration plans to California’s Office of Historic Preservation and the City in the pursuit of finding funding on the state and local levels.
To register for the race, see; httpss://www.tentcitymarathon.com/
To learn more about the Atascadero Printery Foundation, visit httpss://www.atascaderoprintery.org/ or read the SLOCountyBusinessMatters.com feature Ink and Lemonade.
By Mark A. Diaz
