On March 17, downtown Topeka will be a sight to see as the fourth annual Great Topeka Bed Race kicks off. Participants will glide down 6th Avenue from SW Van Buren Street to SW Jackson Street in decorated beds.

The race begins at 9 a.m. and beds will line up for safety inspections an hour before.

The bed race is a St. Patrick’s Day tradition for Housing and Credit Counseling Inc. and many other sponsors including WIBW, Stormont Vail Healthcare, Capital City Bank, FHLBank Topeka and Capitol Federal Savings.

Participants donate a $100 to HCCI and one is able to win a variety of prizes for first, second and third places, as well as “Most Creatively Decorated Bed.” Prizes range between $25 to $150, as well as honorary titles and trophies.

This race has had an active local audience since it began four years ago and continues to draw in crowds of people looking for something to do before the St. Patrick’s Day parade.

This year, Ralph Hipp, WIBW news anchor, is the honorary race chairman and will be among those hosting this event.

“I would really like to watch it at some point,” said Matt Alexander, undeclared freshman. “It sounds pretty interesting.”

All entry fee’s go to HCCI in their goal of helping the people of Topeka with their debts and other financial difficulties.

“This race is really about helping build awareness of who we are and what we do,” said Lynn Crabtree, HCCI employee.

HCCI has been a part of downtown Topeka since 1972 and is governed by a volunteer board of directors, who search to counsel and educate people on reaching their goals. Their hope is that the bed race will engage young adults and students in the process of understanding options available for their student loans.

The bed race offers a fun and unique opportunity for locals looking to compete while supporting an important community service.

The deadline for race entry is tomorrow, March 15. Anybody interested is encouraged to visit www.hcci-ks.org/WEBBEDRACE.pdf for rules and entry forms.