 Well, over the weekend, many people swap their winter blues for some springtime greens. And this week's Northwood's adventure, our Josh Peterson, introduces us to some colorful characters at this year's Shamrock Shuffle. With St. Patrick's Day landing on a Saturday, over 200 festively dressed participants geared up for the annual Shamrock Shuffle hosted by the city of Bemidji's Parks and Recreation Department. With ideal weather combined with the actual holiday, this year's shuffle was one of the biggest. This is our biggest run that we do every year. We like to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, and this year we're lucky enough that it actually ended on St. Patrick's Day. It's just a great way for us to start off the race season with one of our bigger events. The Shamrock Shuffle draws participants regionally, and it's a chance for the city of Bemidji to show off its trail system. We do have runners that are maybe visiting relatives or have somebody in the Bemidji area that come and travel, and we have some that are from Duluth. It's just kind of, we are kind of drawing people. With the sound of a horn, the rumble of 200 plus pairs of tennis shoes could be heard hitting the pavement. For some, it's a family affair. Well, our families gather together on St. Patrick's Day for the last 11 or 12 years just to celebrate. It's an opportunity towards the end of winter to get together as the spring starts to break. And since we moved up to the area, this is a great way to kick the day off. While the shuffle attracts many returning participants, the holiday run welcomes many first-time runners as well. Some just needed a special incentive to go out for that first run. It's her birthday tomorrow, so I figured the day before my birthday is the best time to start running a race. My first race ever. With a run inspired by a festive holiday, many of those running dressed the part. From green shoes with striped socks, to tutus with green hair. What brings many back for the event is the camaraderie, and for some, discussion has already started for next year's outfits. Just all of us, we kind of, Joel here, has some fantastic ideas for next year and each year, so we kind of get out there and see what's out there. With a healthy and fun way to kick off spring, organizers only expect to see the shuffle continue to grow. With this week's Northwood's adventure, in Bemidji, Josh Peterson, Lakeland News. If you enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland PBS.