Blazing the trail for education.

That's the type of impact individuals who participate in the 5K Earth Day Hippy Run/Walk hope to have, be it in their tie-dye, or bell-bottoms.Presented by Leadership Carbon 2014, the event will be held on Saturday, April 26, at the Lehighton Trailhead, 200 Main Lane, Sargent Stanley Hoffman Boulevard, Lehighton.Registration is at 8 a.m., with a start time of 9 a.m. An award ceremony will follow.There will be a bake sale, along with music to start off the event, before heading to Jim Thorpe for the Earth Day celebration.Cindy Gasper, a member of the marketing committee, said the event ties in with Leadership Carbon."Basically, we will be doing this as our class project for Leadership Carbon," Gasper said."We chose this day because it will also promote Earth Day festivities in the town of Jim Thorpe."Gasper explained the rationale for the event."We are earning money for a scholarship for a student from each of the five sending districts for Carbon Career Technical Institute," she said. "Also, there will be a new trailhead promotion in Lehighton to go along with this walk, so the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Trail Corridor will be doing their dedication of the new trailhead, and also a new kiosk we have also obtained from our class through a grant."Costs are $15 for pre-registration by today, which guarantees a T-shirt; $20 the day of the event, and $10 for students grades kindergarten through 12.To register, go to

http://carboncountypa.org via PayPal or check.For more information on the event, contact Kathy Ruff, toll free, at 855-743-2532.Leadership Carbon, a nine-month program designed to cultivate leaders for the benefit and development of Carbon County's future, was formed in 2005 by Partners for Progress.Participants in the program meet once a month at the CCEDC building in Lehighton from September to May, with a different topic, such as county government, economic development, health care, team building, environment and education.At the end of the program in May, a graduation ceremony is conducted.For more information on Leadership Carbon, go to

http://leadershipcarbon.com.