Dancing Tunes from the 3-Day Safety Crew

The only thing we love more than a 3-Day pump-up song is our amazing 3-Day Crew. Both keep our walkers dancing along their 60-mile journey and provide unparalleled inspiration on the 3-Day weekend. And many times, crew members and cool tunes go hand in hand.

From dance parties at pit stops to safety Crew blasting tunes as you cross the street to the motorcycle Crew driving by and playing that much needed rendition of “Firework” to help propel you up that last hill of the day…our 3-Day Crew are music masters. So, who better to ask for musical recommendations as we gear up for the 3-Day season? We tapped all our crew members to collect the best beats in the land.

Barbara “Bebe” Boone is a regular on the 3-Day Safety Crew, and even if you don’t know her personally, you’ve likely seen her on the road. She always smiling, dancing and blowing kisses to participants as she rides by or is parked at stop lights. She, maybe more than anyone, knows how much of a difference a good song can make on the route.

“I have more than 500 songs on my 3-Day Spotify playlist. ? Three days’ worth of feet-stomping, booty-shaking, family-loving motivation. I’ve found that having a wide variety works as we have walkers, crew members and volunteers from all over the country and in every age group, so my list is from the 1920’s to today. There are always at least one or two walkers that sing along or even stop and dance as they pass.”

Want to get a taste of Bebe’s playlist, and other favorites from the 3-Day Crew? Here’s a playlist they put together, just for you:

spotify:playlist:45aTCauk7rf7l0AWI95LBv

Also, be sure to keep an eye out for Bebe on the road in Michigan, New England Philadelphia AND San Diego this year ?

If you want more playlist inspiration, be sure to poke around on our Spotify channel for playlists from your coaches, our past events and more.

Did we miss a favorite song that the Crew has played while you were on event? Add it to the comments below so we can add it to the playlist!

NOTE: Walkers are not permitted to wear headphones or use mobile phones or texting devices while walking. It is extremely unsafe. If you need to use your phone, stop and step to the side first. And please don’t use your phone’s speaker to play music or make calls while walking.

2019 Michigan 3-Day Route Preview

It is almost here! The Michigan 3-Day is next week, and as you get ready for the event, we have a preview of what you can expect on our first 3-Day of the year! We can’t believe the weekend is almost upon us, but your Michigan 3-Day staff and coaches have been hard at work all year long to plan a fun-filled weekend for everyone heading to the Great Lake State.

After getting great feedback on our route from last year, you’ll be happy to see some familiar sights, but we have taken extra effort to make this year even better than the last! That includes an updated experience for our Opening Ceremony and camp, both of which will take place indoors at the Sheraton Detroit Novi. We will be taking over three different hotels in the Novi area, spreading the 3-Day spirit far and wide.

You can follow along with us on Facebook to see the grand unveiling of what the new Opening Ceremony will look like, but Event Production Manager Melanie Toner thinks everyone will love the new set-up!

After the Opening Ceremony, walkers will start their 60-mile journey. There will be changes to the route as we walk in and out of camp, so that we can give our walkers a direct route in and out of the hotel, and Melanie and the 3-Day team are working hard to make those changes extra special.

After walking out of the hotel, walkers will cross over Interstate 96 and head North to Walled Lake and into Novi. Keep an eye out for our first cheering station of the day and then an amazing photo op at Pavilion Shore Park.

After this you can look forward to some new route stops, but we will still visit all the amazing Michigan towns that have been such great hosts to us in the past. That includes the quaint neighborhoods of the Walled Lake community that embody the lake culture of the Mitten state!

Then, we will finish our day back at the new hotel camp.

Melanie says, “You can expect the same elements of 3-Day camp and your night with your fellow 3-Dayers that you’ve loved in the past! It will just be spread over two floors. Although we are moving camp from the outside, the move indoors creates a new and exciting atmosphere with all the comforts of home! (indoor bathrooms anyone?)

The first floor will hold our Opening Ceremony, and following the ceremony, the space will transition into your 3-Day Dining Room for the rest of the weekend. It will include the all-new 3-Day Lounge brought to you by Amgen, complete with charging stations, giveaways and frozen yogurt! And back again this year (to everyone’s delight) is a fan favorite, the Bank of America massage chairs. Also be sure to visit the 3-Day store, get your 2019 Michigan pin and buy a 3-Day “wish you were here” postcard for to a loved one! Don’t forget to bring stamps.

Then on the second floor there will be the medical team, a Manduka stretching area, our Youth Corps area and more! It will be a space for connection, community and a chance to refuel”

Ann Love, another member of our Michigan Event Production team, echoes this excitement, enthusing, “I am very excited to see the hotel portion of the event come together. The hotel has been really supportive, and I think everyone is going to love what we’ve put together!”

Day Two will start with the Bank of America Breakfast of Champions for our Top Fundraisers. Usually honored on Friday at Camp Show, this recognition will now take place before we leave camp first thing on Saturday.

Day Two we will head south through Novi again, and then into Plymouth where we’ll pass by the Plymouth Historical Museum. We will spend much of the rest of the day in Plymouth, including visiting Kellogg Park, where the familiar Pink Fountain awaits and walking along the Ann Arbor Trail Road and then into Northville, another historic Michigan community.

At lunch on Day Two, we will reach the halfway mark of our walk… and we’re going to celebrate! Enjoy special photo opportunities, a local DJ and more excitement. This new celebration will take place at all of our 3-Days this year, and we are especially excited to debut it in Michigan.

One of Ann’s favorite parts of Day Two is that it will be a shorter route, thanks to the new hotel camp location. We have heard your feedback about Day Two being a bit long and taken that into account this year.

Day Two will end back at camp with an all-new Honor Ceremony. This special addition will include stories from walkers, crew, Youth Corps, and more. You’ll even have a chance to share with the world why you commit 3-Days.

Melanie says that our Day Three route is very similar to last year. “We know people loved it, so we didn’t want to change that feeling!”

The day will start with a short bus ride to an elementary school in Livonia. Then much of the day still takes place in Dearborn, including a pit stop at the Dearborn Historical Museum. This is just one of the fun destinations right in the heart of downtown Dearborn. York Street in Dearborn is especially supportive of our walkers, coming out in full force to cheer them on. Also keep an eye out for gorgeous views of the Rouge River near the end of the final day of walking.

Other highlights to look forward to on the route throughout the weekend are:

Walled Lake
Cheering stations in downtown Plymouth
Ford Field in Dearborn
Hines Park
Downtown Northville (Ann especially love the historic homes)

After 60 miles, our walk will once again finish at the Ford World Headquarters. This has been such an iconic and special spot for our Michigan 3-Dayers, and we are honored to once again be able to finish our journey there.

Instead of having a separate Participant Finish Area and Closing Ceremony site, we will have one celebratory Closing Festival area. So, all the excitement can be in one giant space! There will be live music, crowd games and prizes plus even some line dancing!

When the last walker arrives, we will immediately begin the Closing Ceremony. The Closing Ceremony will be like what you have come to expect in past years, but with some new festive additions.

The celebration will be for everyone, regardless of when you finish! Plus, having the Victory Area also hold Closing Ceremony means there will be less walking after you finish your 60-mile journey! Which we know our walkers will love ?

All in all, we are looking forward to showing off many new additions to the 3-Day this year and kicking off our 2019 3-Day season in style.

Why to Love 3-Day Camp with Coach Gayla

The 3-Day camp is an experience like no other. Imagine a slumber party with hundreds of your favorite people, complete with dance party, delicious food, games and shopping…all under the stars. It’s a fun time to say the least! Our walkers in Seattle, Dallas/Fort Worth and San Diego will get to experience that magic first-hand this year. If you’re a first-time camper, Coach Gayla is here to get you excited for that experience. There is so much to love about the 3-Day camp, and she’s breaking it all down for you…

First and foremost, tent camping gives you the extra excuse to ask for a large donation as you are fundraising! You’re giving up your comfy bed for two nights. A big commitment deserves a big donation. Just remind potential donors that you’ll be showering in a semi-truck, and that should motivate them to support your goals ?
The camp environment gives you a chance to do something different than what we do at home every day. I mean, other than the 3-Day, when was the last time you went camping?!

At camp, you’ll have access to the dining hall, camp lounge, massages and Remembrance Tent, all within a short distance of your tent. It also makes it easy to be right on hand at the finish line to cheer other walkers in! I love this part, and it’s something my pals from Team STEPS (Hi Dana and Sheryl!) brought up when I talked with them about this, too.
You can easily meet new friends as you wander around camp. Sheryl and Dana summed it up perfectly, saying, “Even a trip to the port-o-potty or shower will often provide a smiling face on the way, a high five with a 3-Day legend, an opportunity to thank a volunteer, or a special random act of kindness.” We love making those connections!
Picture yourself sitting in the entry of your tent at the end of the day reading your camp mail, rehydrating, and waving and smiling as people come in from the walk route. There’s nothing like that feeling of accomplishment!
The joy and inspiration of the 3-Day is heightened by having just the sounds of nature and your 3-Day family around you. No sounds of TV, or doors creating barriers between you and all the fun!

In general, camaraderie is at an all-time high when hanging out with your friends in and around your tents. You can even personally check in on all your tentmates before you turn in for the night…just by giving them a holler!
Then, as the night goes on, and you’re all cozy in your sleeping bag, you really will appreciate the great outdoors where you can see the stars at night and breathe in the fresh air. You become one with nature.
It really helps you escape the daily grind of life and decompress – no phones, tv, radio. It will do your mind some good! As Sheryl and Dana said, “you get to unplug and be perfectly present in the moment.” It will give you time and space to truly appreciate the 3-Day in a whole new way.
And then, sitting in your tent as the sun comes up and a new day begins…it’s just so exciting and inspiring. Plus, Sheryl and Dana reminded me about “waking up to the smell of coffee and bacon,” which is never a bad thing.

Bonus! Remember, it’s GLAMPING, not really CAMPING after all ?

What else do you love about the 3-Day camp experience? Tell us in the comments!