Submitted by Downtown: On the Go!
Celebrate National Walking Day by attending the free Walk Tacoma Kick-off in Wright Park on Wednesday, April 1, 2015 at noon, with Downtown On the Go and the American Heart Association, in partnership with Metro Parks. This event will kick-off the 2015 Walk Tacoma series sponsored by CHI Franciscan Health and the Walk Around the World campaign. The first 250 walk participants will receive a swag bag.
The Walk Tacoma Kick-off, sponsored by Midtown Lofts, is a free 1.5 mile history walk through Wright Park and the Stadium District led by Melissa McGinnis, Metro Parks, Bill Baarsma, former Tacoma Mayor, and Derek Young, Exit 133. Participants will walk with all three leaders and learn about the history of Wright Park, residential complexes adjacent to the park, and Stadium High School.
The walk will begin at the south side of Wright Park by the lion sculptures at noon. Walkers can visit booths from 11:30 a.m. until noon to learn more about healthy lifestyles, healthy commutes, and other walking events. All Walk Tacoma events are free and there is no pre-registration necessary.
“We are so excited to sponsor Walk Tacoma again this year as we have a strong commitment to see our communities get and stay healthy. Walk Tacoma does two things – it gets people outside walking and they learn about their community through guided-walking themes such as history, museums, breweries and others,” said CHI Franciscan Health Senior Vice President of Mission Dianna Kielian.
National Walking Day will also kick-off the community-wide effort to Walk Around the World, a 24,859 mile challenge. Participants will be encouraged to walk for both health and transportation, and log their walks on the Trip Calendar at PierceTrips.com to earn prizes and be a part of the community program.
Walk Tacoma 2015, sponsored by CHI Franciscan Health, is a nine event walking series held on the first and third Wednesdays, from April through August. The fun, themed walks, now in their sixth year, encourage people to enjoy downtown on foot by introduce new walking routes, and sharing information about the community and its history through the guided tours. The walks are scheduled at the lunch hour and just after work to encourage downtown employees to walk during their workday, whether it is to and from work or at a lunch break.
For more information on the full Walk Tacoma Series or Walk Around the World, visit www.downtownonthego.org or find us on Facebook or Twitter.
