When runners in Patterson Farm’s first Dewey Dash rounded the last bend in the 3.1-mile course their clothes were no longer white and pristine like they were when they started.

Patterson Farm employees mixed 500 pounds of cornstarch with water and blue, orange, yellow, green, red and purple food coloring to create their own holi powder, a fine, colored powder used in Indian religious festivals and in color runs across the nation.

Workers and volunteers were dispersed along the race route with buckets of the powder and threw it at the runners as they passed by them.

“There’s been a lot of excitement about the color run,” said Patterson Farm co-owner Michelle Patterson.

Gracie Corriher, Payton Sloop and Kylie Burleson come prepared for the 5K run. The Corriher-Lipe seventh graders were dressed in as much white as possible and wore tutus.

Corriher said the girls decided to run the race because they “would get all colorful.”

“That’s why I wanted to do it,” she added.

Sloop, who was in running club in elementary school, said she just wanted to run with her friends.

When asked what they hoped they looked like when the finished the course, the girls burst into grins and giggles.

“Fairy princess,” Corriher said.

“A rainbow,” Sloop added.

“Like a unicorn threw up on me,” Burleson gleefully chimed in.

David Freeze, president of the Salisbury Rowan Runners club, said this is the first color run Patterson Farms has hosted.

He pointed out that the race wasn’t intensely competitive, but was focused on having fun and getting together.

“I think it’s a different kind of runner,” Freeze said.

This weekend was “Get Lost in a Book” weekend at Patterson Farm, so in addition to the Dewey Dash, children were also able to meet Chris Grabenstein, author of “Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library” and participate in other literacy oriented events.

“We wanted to do something with literacy,” Patterson said.

Rowan-Salisbury students who read “Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library” and answered questions about the book were given a free pass to come to Patterson Farm Saturday.

“They’re just such great partners,” said Kelly Feimster, director of media for the Rowan-Salisbury School System.

The district’s elementary and middle school students have spent the past few weeks reading “Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library,” and participating in problem-based learning challenges based on the book.

Grabenstein visited with select elementary and middle school classes Friday and met students at Patterson Farm Saturday.

Feimster said his talks with the students were “so interactive.”

He improvised stories for the children based on words they wrote down and talked about the power of verbs.

Grabenstein’s appearance wasn’t the only literacy-themed activity at Patterson Farm Saturday.

Each child was given a passport of questions based off the book, and the farm’s bookworm shaped corn maze was also open, although not many people took advantage of it because of the cold, wet weather.

“The rain had dampened some of our plans,” Patterson said, adding that several events didn’t get to happen.