As part of a health-centric movement happening across the globe, Reno-Sparks Open Streets is encouraging families and visitors to self-propel through the streets of Sparks on Aug. 20 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Designating a route for pedestrians and bicyclists from Pyramid Way along Victorian Avenue and then up around the plaza and movie theater, food/beverage vendors and healthy lifestyle booths will offer people of all ages encouragement for enjoying vehicle-free outdoors.
“Inspired by events across the country and globe in which people traffic replaces car traffic, the streets become ‘paved parks’,” a press release from RenOpen Streets states. Open Streets co-founder and Reno Bike Project Executive Director Noah Chubb-Silverman says that these events are very popular around the world; Open Streets in Bogota, Columbia draws in around two million people on a weekly basis, while Los Angeles brings in about 100,000 participants.
Launching Reno-Sparks Open Streets in with co-founder Julie Hunter in 2014, Chubb-Silverman says that this started from having a passion for healthy and clean community. Sparks’ inaugural Open Streets event aims to provide a safe opportunity for the community to get outside and dance, play and bike in the transformed environment.
“We are very excited to bring this event to Sparks for the first time,” Chubb-Silverman says. “This is such an exciting event because it is based on a simple goal of healthier communities, and the scope is so broad as to include everyone from ages eight to eighty.”
After its inception, Open Streets held an event in the downtown Reno-Midtown area last October following another one at the end of July this year. “We’re wanting a big turnout for sure,” Chubb-Silverman says and noted that the organization is hoping to add more events next year.
“This will give people an opportunity to see the streets of Sparks in a whole new way,” he says. “It’s a different experience; it’s all about creating health-centric behaviors. This is an opportunity to get off the couch and go outside,” Chubb-Silverman added. “There’s no other event like this that reaches such a wide range of people,”
Participants will be treated to fun activities, food and beer vendors, and more. The family-friendly event will also feature live entertainment from local rock band The Derailment and a Baby Boot Camp which helps pregnant women stay physically fit.
“There’s something for everyone, even if you’re just going for a walk,” says Chubb-Silverman. For more information about the Sparks Open Streets event on Aug. 20, visit www.renoopenstreets.org.
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