A Colorful Racine County Weekend!

Activities don’t get any more colorful—or varied—than in Racine County this weekend. Running events, a new art exhibition, the circus and a motorcycle blessing are just a few of the things on tap.

Here at last! The Color Run Racine steps off at 5 p.m. Saturday, May 19 near Fifth and Main streets in Downtown Racine. In this non-competitive 5k event, runners/walkers are doused with colored food-grade cornstarch at five different color zones along the route through the city streets. The explosion of color concludes near Festival Park for the estimated 7,500 participants. If you plan to run/walk or just watch, it’s a good idea to arrive early. The Real Racine website has maps and details. Just click HERE.

An early run. Early birds can take in the 3^rd Annual Ruud Rush 5k starting at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at Cree Inc. (formerly Ruud Lighting), 9201 Washington Ave., Sturtevant. The Ruud Rush benefits Recreational Activities for the Developmentally Disabled (RADD.) Registration is $20 for adults and $12 for kids ages 12 and under. For details, visit www.ruudrush5k.org

Celebrate museums. This is Museum Week 2012 and the Racine Art Museum (RAM), 441 Main St., is celebrating with free admission from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday. RAM also unveils a new exhibition on Sunday called “Beth Van Hoesen: The Observant Eye.” This is traveling exhibition featuring drawings, paintings, prints and lithographs by the nationally known artist who specializes in animals, large and small. The exhibition runs through Sept. 9. Visit www.ramart.org

See the circus. Saturday is Tripoli Shrine Circus day at the Racine County Fairgrounds in Union Grove. The three-ring extravaganza promises motorcycle daredevils, tigers, elephants and more. Performances are at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are $16 for adults and $12 for kids ages 12 and under. Two-for-one coupons are available at many area businesses.

Musical continues. The Broadway hit musical “Chicago” continues its run at the Racine Theatre Guild, 2519 Northwestern Ave. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Friday and  2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The Sunday matinee is sold out. Reservations are recommended. Call 262-633-4218 or visit www.racinetheatre.org

An opening. The Beachside Oasis, 100 Kewaunee St., makes its debut under a new name and operators on Saturday. Formerly the North Beach Oasis, the Beachside Oasis plans special events and activities all summer long. The new menu includes snacks, sandwiches, veggies and pizza. Live music from The Collection will be offered from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday. Beachside Oasis will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily starting Memorial Day weekend.

Blessing the bikes.  The 4th Annual Blessing of the Bikes is 1 p.m. Sunday at Norway Lutheran Church, 6321 Heg Park Road, Wind Lake. As many as 1,000 motorcycle enthusiasts from throughout the region are expected to take part.

That’s it for this week. Visit the Real Racine website (www.realracine.com) for a calendar of upcoming events. You’ll find daily updates HERE on Facebook and HERE on Twitter.