(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland
The Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District (THPRD) has just announced its first ever “Sunday Trailways” event will be held on June 24th.
THPRD spokesman Bob Wayt says they’ve recognized the success of Portland’s Sunday Parkways (which boasted a crowd of nearly 30,000 last month), and they wanted to give Beaverton-area residents something similar. Wayt calls Sunday Trailways an “active outdoor event with a twist.”
The free event is scheduled to run from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm and will celebrate the Fanno Creek Trail (which we happened to write about earlier today). There will be activities for all ages at various points along the path, which runs 4 1/2 miles from the Garden Home Recreation Center to Greenway Park. Some of the scenic areas along the route are the Koll Wetlands, the Fanno Farmhouse and Vista Brook Park.
Lisa Novak, the Park District’s superintendent of programs and special activities, says the event will meet many of their objectives: “It promotes awareness of our trails, it’s active, it’s community and family-oriented, it highlights our natural resources and it showcases a non-motorized alternative for city travelers.”
Sunday Trailways will kick off with a grand opening ceremony to mark completion of a missing link on the Fanno Creek Trail (a half-mile segment extending from the intersection of Scholls Ferry Road and Allen Blvd to the end of 105th that was finished in January).
I’ve been hearing this was coming for a while now, and it’s great to finally see it materialize. It’s a good first step; but the true spirit of Sunday Parkways is that it uses major public roads. Even the City of Portland has had trouble using major thoroughfares for Sunday Parkways, so I’m not surprised the THPRD decided to start small by just using the trail. But hopefully future events will move this carfree event onto the roads where it belongs.
In a statement about the new event, THPRD said they encourage folks to, “Ditch the car for a day and celebrate nature with friends and family.” Check out THPRD.org for more info.