– For the 3rd year in a row the Carpenter’s Park race, hosted by Main St. Bicycles (owned by CCC director and jack-of-all-trades Jeff Provisor) & North Branch Cycling, will be hosted along side the Carpentersville Oktoberfest. As you may have guessed the festival will have a beer garden (which will be located right next to the course). Great food vendors, live music, raffles, kid rides (inflatables), and much more. Full details of the festival and a sample of some of the Oktoberfestivities are here.

– Remember the previous day the CCC is just up the road in Wauconda at Psycho Cross. See the preview for Saturday’s race here. Online pre-reg on BikeReg.com closes for both races tonight (Thursday) at midnight.

– The Holiday Inn Express in Lake Zurich on Rt. #12 (Rand Road) is offering $20.00 off on a night’s stay for Saturday night for those of you who want to stay local and not drive home after the Wauconda race… just mention “Psycho Cross” for the discount.

– Registration is back in the bandshell in the NorthEast corner of the park. The Start/Finish has also moved back to North Side of the park. Right now there are 291 of you pre-reg’d, which is less than last year, but online pre-reg is still open until midnight tonight (Thursday)! The 4A’s are closed but there are still a few spots left in the 4B’s. Just like at all CCC races we’ll have a waitlist for any race that is full to try and give everyone a chance to race.

– The weather forecast looks fantastic again, but Autumn seems to finally have arrived… so make sure to bring some warm, dry clothes for after the race

– Jeff and the village of Carpentersville have asked that we please keep the beer drinking in the beer garden… you know, so the beer flowers can grow. This being ‘cross we’re sure someone won’t read this and a can or two of High Life will find their way to the side of the course, so please be respectful of the park, other spectators, and every racer.

– Overflow parking will be East of the park – in the school lots off of Spring St (to the South), and at Cross Container off of Maple (to the North).

– New this year is live beer hall style music, in the new beer garden (did we mention there is beer) located on the NE side of the course. There will be many tasty food options, including the return of Kenny’s famous Chubby Spud… a brat wrapped in a potato blanket with cheese and kraut… for a post race recovery coma induced nirvana in a wrap.

– Bring a canned food item for the local FISH food pantry, and the $2.00 I.D. wrist band fee to purchase adult beverages in the Beer Garden will be waived. Leinies’ Oktoberfest brew will be featured in the garden as well as other brews.

– For all you kids who aren’t yet old enough to race in the 10-14 category, the Oktoberfest will feature a Free Kids race for 5-10 year olds held at high noon near the bandshell. Just bring your bike and a helmet!  Also for the kiddies, a huge inflatable jumpy things to keep ’em busy & happy for .50 cents a ride.

– This year’s course is a mix of classic Carpentersville features such as creek crossings, one of the CCC’s longer sand pits, a little nub of a hill that always gets people. Returning from 2009 but still somehow new for 2010, the course now goes through 100 yards of sweet black mother earth in the adjoining bean field to the East of the park. The dirt stretch will contain a section of plump dirt rollers (aka the pump/rhythm section) finely tuned for your pleasure. Dirty Mudders, pray for rain. Check out Sven Nys flying through one here (0:11).