National Walk To School Day October 10

Riverside Intermediate School walkers and bike riders gather in front of the rock before heading in to school.

Excitement is building as the Manchester Walk to School crew has been getting ready for this week’s event for a month!

Three days per week–each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday–walkers from grades K-6 meet at the Wurster Park gazebo at 7:30 am and at Chi-Bro Park at 7:45 am, for a supervised walk to Klager and Riverside schools. During the walk, the kids are learning about safe crossing as well as bike etiquette on the downtown streets and sidewalks.

Thanks to the village DPW crew, crossing alerts are placed on Main Street in front of Wurster Park on walk mornings, to help kids cross safely during heavy traffic times.

International Walk to School Day, a global event that involves communities from more than 40 countries walking and biking to school on the same day, is scheduled for this Wednesday, October 10. Beginning in 1997 as a one-day event, over time, this event has become part of a movement for year-round safe routes to school and a celebration–with record breaking participation–each October. Today, thousands of schools across America–from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico–participate every October.

With more than 80 kids already participating in at least one Manchester walk-to-school event already this year, organizer Kathy O’Mara is enthusiastically confident that a huge crowd will be ready for this year’s big day!

Many walkers have already received their first prizes of the year for completing 10 walking days, and each day more walkers reach that first goal. There is some pretty great excitement going on from the kids, parents, volunteers, and school staff.

“I have emailed all school board members to attend (Wednesday’s) event,” O’Mara said. “The challenge is on! Will there be more school board members or village council members? Clergy members and fire department members have also been invited. We should have a good turn out.”

Last week, the Klager walkers hoped to find a “pot of gold” at the end of the rainbow when they arrived at school.

Klager walkers gather before heading in to start their day.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.