Time to Get Out and Play.

By Paul Hankel
Contributing Writer

It’s back! Streets Alive!, a nationwide “getting and staying active movement” is making its return to Fargo-Moorhead on Aug. 28th and Sept. 18th for the second time. One of the area’s popular new community events, Streets Alive!, will take place on the streets of Fargo-Moorhead and will feature three miles of “human-powered movement,” such as walking, running, biking, skating, and dancing. Participants are encouraged to take to the streets and engage in any of these forms of movement along a three mile course that will be closed off throughout the route.

The concept for an event like StreetsAlive! originated in Bogotá, Columbia, where today nearly 1.5 million residents turn up weekly to participate in “Ciclovia,” or “bike path” in Spanish. City officials would close off extensive miles of roads and streets throughout Bogotá and allow residents to bike and walk the paths. This tradition was started in 1976 and soon became the biggest of its kind anywhere in the world. Today’s Ciclovia events in Bogota feature close to 70 miles of streets closed to motorists and open to for residents to enjoy.

The idea spread and today over 30 different Ciclovia events take place all throughout the United States.

In Cass and Clay County, there were a large number of overweight residents and cases of childhood obesity. Statistics showed that roughly half of all residents got no form of physical exercise and nearly 40% of the area’s adolescents were not getting the recommended amount of daily activity. Several local healthcare professionals, businesses, and support groups came to together to form the event and to raise awareness about the growing health concerns. The goals of the event are to “inspire people to add physical activity to their daily lives and inspire communities, schools, and childcare (centers) to create a culture of active living,” according to the Streets Alive website. The hope is that by encouraging FM residents to get active and stay active, we can become one of the healthiest cities in the US.

The route for this year’s Streets Alive! event will feature streets in downtown Fargo-Moorhead and have stops at various locations including Oak Grove, the Great Northern, Davy Memorial Park, First Lutheran Church, and Horace Mann Elementary. There will be multitudes of activities and gatherings along the route for participants to enjoy.

Located in Oak Grove Park will be kids fitness areas, Zumba dance stations, and various forms of physical activity classes. First Lutheran Church will play host to several local bands playing music throughout the day and Horace Mann Elementary will play host to a TNT Kids Fitness class and several other activities.

The headquarters for the event is located at US Bank Plaza on Broadway and 2nd Avenue North in Fargo. Both scheduled days for the event will feature different activities. The event begins at Noon and runs until 5 p.m. on both days and FM residents can show up to participate. For more information, visit the events Facebook page by “Streets Alive”, or by visiting http://tiny.cc/StreetsAlive

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IF YOU GO

WHAT: Streets Alive
WHERE: Downtown Fargo - Headquarters in the US Bank Plaza
WHEN: Aug. 28 and Sept. 18 from noon to 5 pm
COST: Free!
MORE INFO: http://tiny.cc/StreetsAlive