WINONA LAKE, Ind. – The Northern Indiana Lakes Festival will now host two days of athletic events on the shores of beautiful northern Indiana lakes. This includes unique race opportunities for the young and old, beginners and pros.

The Lakes Festival is a family-friendly celebration of lakes over the weekend of June 9-10 in Warsaw and Winona Lake.

The youngest festival goers can participate in the Water Waddle, a 1-mile fun run for toddlers to 14 year olds.

For adults and families there is the Run for Orphans 5K. This event is organized by Integrated Community Development International, or ICDI, a nonprofit organization working in the Central African Republic to provide medical care and education to orphans. All proceeds from the 5K will go toward their efforts.

Cycling enthusiasts can enjoy the Winona Lake Trails as part of KCV Cycling Club’s mountain bike time trial series. Once a month, starting with the Lakes Festival and continuing through September, the club gathers to improve their fitness and racing skills. There is no cost associated with the series.

The Wild Goose Chase Adventure Race should prove an exciting experience for more adventurous types. Organized by Metzger Outdoors, the race has participants traverse through all terrains in an effort to complete a set of activities and tasks as quickly as possible. The event emphasizes teamwork and is for new and experienced racers.

Finally, it wouldn’t be a celebration of lakes if there wasn’t a swimming event. Center Lake Conservation Association organizes a 1-mile swim race in Center Lake called the Warsaw Aqua Mile. All proceeds will go to the Center Lake Conservation Association and their efforts to keep the lake clean.

Besides enjoying the scenery of beautiful lakes, racers and their families can take advantage of the festivities associated with the Lakes Festival. This includes a ski show, canoeing, lake education activities, food vendors, a business expo and much more.

Click here for race times, registration and other details.

The Lakes Festival is organized by Kosciusko Lakes and Streams, a center for water research, education and collaboration at Grace College, with sponsorship from Biomet, Zimmer, CenturyLink, the K21 Health Foundation, Louis Dreyfus, Metzger Trucking and Silveus Insurance Group.