Ride the Route at Fort Collins’ Second Open Streets Event of 2018

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Heather Cox
Business Support III, Communications & Public Involvement

Sunday, September 9, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Come Ride the Route along the Hampshire Bikeway on Sunday, September 9 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Open Streets events are car-free, family-friendly and community-focused events. The September 9 event will be the second and final event of 2018. This event is sponsored in part by Kaiser Permanente and the Bohemian Foundation’s Music Event Fund.

Participants are encouraged to grab a bike or walking shoes to enjoy a day full of activities, live music and food trucks in a car-free environment. Several “plazas” will pop up along the event route which includes Ponderosa Dr., Hampshire Rd and portions of W. Laurel St., W. Lake St. and Fuqua Dr. from W. Mulberry St. to W. Drake Rd. Rogers Park and Blevins Park will be main features of the event route, and creative and artistic activities will be scattered throughout the nearly 2.5-mile route, our longest Open Streets route to date.

“Open Streets events have grown significantly in 2018. We’re very excited to continue featuring local musicians, artists, food trucks and organizations. These features are what makes Open Streets unique: community-focused events,” said Nick Heimann, FC Bikes Program Specialist and Open Streets coordinator. “In 2018,” he continued, “Open Streets routes feature two beautiful parks and walkable, bikeable streets. We hope participants discover a new park or neighborhood amenity while exploring car-free and family-friendly streets.”

Participants can enjoy food for purchase from a variety of local food trucks, including The Goodness, Bigs BBQ, Umami and The Silver Seed, among many others. Cool off with treats from Revolution Artisan Pops, The Human Bean, Divine Ice Cream and more.

Live music and performances will be held for the duration of the event at the Colorado Sound Stage located at Blevins Park. Participants are encouraged to bring blankets or lawn chairs to enjoy a day chock-full of local music. Check our website for a full schedule soon.

More than 8,000 participants are expected to attend the September 9 Open Streets. Police and emergency vehicles will be present on the event route to help as necessary. For area residents, local access will be provided with the aid of event volunteers for the duration of the day. Residents are encouraged to park vehicles off the event route to limit the need for driving on the route.

For further details on this nationwide initiative, visit fcgov.com/openstreets.

About Open Streets:

“Open Streets” is a nationwide initiative that promotes community involvement, local businesses and physical activity, while encouraging the use of public space as a means for the community to gather and meet, play and try active modes of transportation. With more than 100 documented initiatives in North America, Open Streets events are increasingly common in cities seeking innovative ways to achieve environmental, social, economic and public health goals.

About FC Bikes Program:

A City of Fort Collins program, FC Bikes works to create a safe and healthy community by encouraging more people to bicycle in the city. FC Bikes provides year-round educational programs for all ages and hosts several special events fostering and encouraging the public to use bicycling as a means of transportation and recreation. Their efforts have led to Fort Collins being awarded Platinum Bicycle Friendly Community from the League of American Bicyclists, one of just five such communities in the county.

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