From Left: Karin King, Heather Woods, Nancy Powdrill and Kristen Breslin in the 2002 Avon Walk for Breast Cancer

Karin King, of Dameron, and her friend Nancy Powdrill, are just two local participants in this year’s Avon Walk for Breast Cancer on April 29 and 30, in Washington, DC. King first got involved in the walk with her friend, Powdrill, whose sister passed away from breast cancer when she was only thirty.

Their first walk was in 2002, and they have been involved every two years since then. “It’s a lot of work,” King told The Bay Net. “To participate you each have to raise $1,800, which is why I only do it every other year.” In 2004 she didn’t have the time to raise enough money to qualify as a walker, but instead volunteered as a crew member.

David Houghton suggested a fundraiser to help meet the entrance cost, and since then King, who works at Chesapeake Custom Embroidery in Lexington Park, has spent any free time preparing for a “Bands, Boobs, and Beer,” fundraising event that will take place this Sunday. While it might sound a little risqué, the “Boobs” part refers to the breast cancer cause, although many publications and organizations have required that the event simply be listed as “Bands and Beer.” “Apparently ‘boobs’ is an obscene word,” joked King.

Houghton will be one of the live performers at Sunday’s event, which was originally scheduled to take place at Bowen’s Inn. Unfortunately since the fire that leveled the Solomon’s bar, the fundraiser had to be relocated and Neptune’s Beach Club was happy to accommodate them in such a worthwhile endeavor.  

In addition to raising the substantial amount of cash, there is also a lot of physical preparation involved. “You have to train,” King told The Bay Net. “I walked 12 miles on Saturday and I’m getting ready to walk 14 this Saturday.It’s quite an undertaking – it takes about four and a half to five hours to walk this distance and that is a good chunk out of the day!”

For the official walk she will complete  26.2 miles on the Saturday and 13.1 miles the following day. However, speed is not supposed to be a focus of the event, “You can get kicked off for racing!” said King.For the official walk she will complete  26.2 miles on the Saturday and 13.1 miles the following day. However, speed is not supposed to be a focus of the event, “You can get kicked off for racing!” said King.

Each walker has a number and their progress can be tracked online at avonwalk.org. Karin’s number is 611901, and Nancy’s is 611881. You can also make donations to the walkers from the website using their walker numbers.

So far Karin estimates she’s only raised $500 towards her participation, partly because she’s been focusing her energy on the fundraiser.

If you would like to attend “Bands, Boobs, and Beer,” it will take place at Neptune’s Beach Club this Sunday from 2 pm to 9pm. There will be a cover charge of $10 and all profits will go towards race participation, a