Saturday November 6, 2021. Anne’s Heart and Good Samaritan Services of Phoenixville hosted the Phoenixville Bed Races after a hiatus last year due to the Covid19 Pandemic. It was a crisp, clear, beautiful day for a fun fundraising event. Common Ground Volunteers showed up to help with volunteer coordination, manning the perimeter, photographing the event, and with post event clean up. 

Our crew were part of around 80 volunteers that helped make the event fun for participants and running smoothly. Once again, the event was emceed by Christopher Bruce and the ever-fabulous Mayor Peter Urscheler. There were ten teams of bad racers participating and a few hundred spectators. Turnout was down from last year’s virtual event but, attendance was strong enough to show that folks are still engaged in the fun of the event and the charities it supports, according to event lead Kristin Lender-Magee Executive Director of Anne’s Heart. The real bonus was raising $22,500 for Anne’s Heart and Good Samaritan Services. 

There was time for spectators to mingle with the race teams and vote for their favorite beds. Each team needed a bed meeting specifications, a rider, and four pushers to get the bed down and back up a good length of 3rd Street at Reeves Park. Make no mistake, the course was not flat. It’s downhill on the way out with the outside lane crowned a bit more, a tight turn that all pushers and all wheels of the bed must cross then a hard push back uphill to the start/finish line.   

The races consisted of double elimination heats to crown this year’s champion. There were a series of games for the spectators to participate in to allow time between race heats for the pushers to recover. There were Pajama Relays, basket tosses, and a blindfolded bed making contest where good-natured ribbing yielded the expected sloppy bed making result.