Newtown police will be joined by Redding police and Garner Correctional Institution staff members on Friday, June 9, in the five-mile local leg of the 2017 Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics.

The local runners are scheduled to receive the flaming torch from Bethel police at about 11:30 am near Dodgingtown Market at 57 Dodgingtown Road (Route 302). Participants will run on Dodgingtown Road to Sugar Street and then follow Sugar Street to its intersection with Main Street, South Main Street, and Glover Avenue. The runners will travel directly across that intersection to eastbound Glover Avenue, after which they will turn left onto northbound Queen Street. At the intersection of Queen Street and Church Hill Road, they will turn right onto eastbound Church Hill Road, following that street until arriving at the Blue Colony Diner, near the Exit 10 interchange of Interstate 84. State police from the Troop A barracks will receive the flaming torch there for the next leg of the torch run.

Police encourage spectators to watch as the runners proceed along the course.

The 2017 Special Olympics competition for Connecticut will be held June 9 through 11 at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven and at the Hamden Hall Country Day School in Hamden.

Police said that the Special Olympics Torch Run raises public awareness about the Special Olympics program and also provides a way for local law enforcement agencies to raise funds to support the Special Olympics of Connecticut program.

In a statement, Newtown police thanked several groups that provided sizable contributions to the Special Olympics fundraising project through which they raised approximately $4,000. Those groups are the Newtown public schools, St Rose School, NJK Automotive LLC, Faxon Law Group, Salon Michele, and Castle Hill Chocolate.