Join the City of Hagerstown’s Parks Fitness Challenge and get moving this May! The challenge runs May 1st – May 30th. Visit Hagerstown parks and complete different challenges at each park for the chance to win some neat prizes!
There are so many parks and trails in the city, it’s easy to find someplace to be active! And did you know that you can do a whole body workout just using common park equipment? Check out these videos to see how:
Check out this blog post from America Walks that features Mary McPherson, a Program Manager at the Washington County Health department who completed the Walking College Fellowship Program last year.
Here’s a quote from the article:
Mary McPherson, Program Manager at Washington County Health Department and 2018 Walking College Fellow, took full advantage of the networking opportunities when she attended the Walk/Bike/Places Conference held in New Orleans last year — part of the Walking College activities — and it paid off, literally.
“Traffic Garden Pitch Gets Unexpected Funding
None of this would have ever happened without the Walking College Fellow experience. I learned so much, formed wonderful partnerships, and became much more confident in my ability to create change,” says McPherson.
The conference allowed Mary to hear about projects being implemented around the country. During one breakout session she connected with a few folks who talked about “Traffic Gardens” for children. Mary loved the idea and took it to heart, hoping to bring the concept to Hagerstown. After careful brainstorming with her new contacts she made a pitch to her connections in Hagerstown as well as the folks at the Maryland Department of Health. The idea was welcomed quickly and the health department was awarded $20,000 to educate children and build a Traffic Garden in Hagerstown.
Traffic Gardens are gaining traction as a fun but practical educational model for children learning how to get around by bike and hone their bicycling skills. It’s also a hands on, simulated way to teach kids how to safely use and share the road with all other users across the spectrum of active mobility modes.
“It will be amazing to have a place where children can enjoy their bicycles in a safe environment, learn the rules of the road and hopefully become life long bicycle enthusiasts… I feel that in all of my 20 years of work in public health, this could be the one project that will truly make a difference in the health of our community,” says McPherson.
You can learn more about Traffic Gardens in this blog post from the Safe Routes to School National Partnership.
The Traffic Garden in Hagerstown is expected to be completed this year. We’re looking forward to having a safe and educational place for children to ride their bikes in Hagerstown!
The American Public Health Association has a goal to get people to take 1 billion steps by the start of National Public Health Week during the first week of April. The challenge starts January 1st! Sign up and learn more here.
The Billion Steps Challenge supports broader health promotion efforts and the intersections between community design and active living, such as 2015’s “Step It Up: The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities.” We hope you’ll join us in advocating for programs and opportunities for all people to engage in physical activity in their communities.
The Challenge begins Jan. 1, 2019, with a goal of reaching more than 1 billion collective steps by APHA’s National Public Health Week celebration the first week of April. We hope you’ll join us!
Sign up for the Billion Steps Challenge on the MoveSpring website or by downloading the MoveSpring app (available at Google Play or in the App Store). If asked, enter “APHA2019” as the organization code for APHA’s Billion Steps Challenge.
Walk Maryland Day is a celebration of our official state exercise–walking! It’s also a call to action to promote awareness about regular walking for physical activity and improved health, engaging Marylanders with fun walks of all sizes and shapes.
See pictures, event highlights, and read our Walk Maryland Day 2017 Report here.
Learn more about Walk Maryland Day here.
Take the Washington County Walking and Walkability Survey at tinyurl.com/WashCoWalkingSurvey
The survey is intended to be taken by adults who live in Washington County, Maryland. The survey should take less than 10 minutes to complete and responses are anonymous.
An important strategy in the Washington County Walking and Walkability Plan is to assess the current state of walking and walkability in Washington County. Along with conducting various walk audits throughout the county, this survey will help us collect the information we need to assess the current state of walking and walkability in the county.
Please take a few minutes to complete the survey and help us achieve our vision of walking toward a healthier Washington County.
The Washington County Health Department in collaboration with several other community organizations including the City of Hagerstown, Washington County Recreation and Fitness, Washington County Commission on Aging, YMCA of Hagerstown, Fort Frederick State Park, and the Washington County Chamber of Commerce; conducted a walk audit in downtown Hagerstown on July 10th. A walk audit is where a group of people walk around an area and rate how walkable it is. Walkability refers to how easy and pleasant a place is to walk.
The walk audit was open to the community to participate in and several community members attended. The walk included sections of Washington Street and the Hagerstown Cultural Trail as well as Antietam Street and Summit Avenue. The Washington County Walking and Walkability team reviewed the suggestions that were made to improve walkability in that area. The City of Hagerstown already has plans to make most of the recommended walkability improvements.
Conducting walk audits in downtown areas of Washington County is one of the strategies in the Washington County Walking and Walkability Plan, which can be found at https://bit.ly/2LKF8xF
The plan was developed as part of an initiative from the Maryland Department of Health to promote walking and walkability. An important first step in the plan is to assess the current state of walking and walkability in Washington County. One method for this assessment is the Washington County Walking and Walkability Survey which can be found at https://tinyurl.com/WashCoWalkingSurvey and can be taken by Washington County residents until the end of August. The other method is conducting walk audits in downtown areas in the county. The walk audit in downtown Hagerstown was the first of what will be several throughout the county.
Another walk audit is currently planned in Hancock on August 15th at 3pm. The walk will begin at the Hancock Town Museum and Visitor Center at 42 W. Main Street and will be about 1.5 miles long. The walk will include parts of the Western Maryland Rail Trail, Main Street, and Widmyer Park. The mayor of Hancock will be participating in this walk audit. All community members are welcome to attend! For more information about this walk audit, go to https://bit.ly/2KjqZ4U
If you have any questions or if you would like to become involved in promoting walking and walkability in Washington County, you may contact the Washington County Health Department Health Planning and Strategic Initiatives Division at mary.mcpherson@maryland.gov or 240-313-3349.