Detroit Parks Coalition brings free summer events to 50 parks
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Chandler Park playground equipment. Photo: Annalise Frank/Axios
Walking is king this summer at Detroit's parks.
Why it matters: A stroll is one of the best things you can do for your heart, body and brain.
- The Detroit Parks Coalition is doubling down on the combined benefits of walking and socialization by expanding its summer We Walk Detroit program.
The big picture: The one-hour group walks — offered multiple times a week starting June 1 at parks across the city — are part of a larger slate of free, all-ages programming for wellness and recreation.
- The coalition organized the schedule across 50 parks with $1 million in combined public and private investment.
What they're saying: "Those numbers are really big milestones for us," Sigal Hemy Spiegel, the coalition's executive director, said during Wednesday's summer launch event.
- "... And this collective investment by all of us here is proof that Detroit parks are really critical for our residents, and that we, as park stewards, are better and stronger when we work together."
Behind the scenes: The Detroit Parks Coalition is an alliance of community park organizations — the Belle Isle and Chandler Park conservancies, Clark Park Coalition, Friends of Rouge Park and others.
- Its members represent specific parks, while also supporting parks across the city through programming and funding for improvements.
- This summer's funders include the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Kresge Foundation and Gilbert Family Foundation.
Context: Some programming is aimed toward giving young people more safe summer activities, like Pistons basketball clinics, Hemy Spiegel says.
- The goal aligns with Mayor Mary Sheffield's Occupy the Summer event series intended to give young adults and kids options they lack to keep busy, and address "teen takeovers" in Detroit.
More events:
🧘 Yoga in the parks running daily at various times, June 1-Sept. 30, with studios including Yoganic Flow, Full Lotus Yoga and Urban Solace Studio.
🚲 A first-come, first-served bike maintenance pop-up at Rouge Park, 10am-4pm June 13.
🐟 Community Fish Day with free fishing, prizes and refreshments at Riverside Park, noon-4pm June 14.
🍎 Know Your Health Day with free health screenings, food, music and more at Bailey Park, 1-5pm June 27.
🗑️ Grandmont neighborhood cleanup day, 9:30am-3:30pm Aug. 1.
Go deeper: The full event calendar (which will be updated regularly)