One of Charlotte’s most-popular community get-togethers returns this fall! The City’s Corridors of Opportunity program partners with Mecklenburg County to bring open streets programming back to six Charlotte neighborhoods in October.
The Corridors Connect series of events will feature shorter routes – and more of them – to provide even more opportunities for discovery and connection. The “Corridors Connect” brand borrows from the Corridors of Opportunity focus areas that will host all six routes. All events will run from 1pm – 5pm.
And in another new twist, the six events will be spread across three consecutive weekends in October. Event organizers feel it will provide more connectivity between neighbors and the City and County programs working to complement their quality of life.
“Our mission is to enhance community wellness through recreation opportunities, and this does just that,” said Jason Tryon, Superintendent of Community Recreation for Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation. “This event series will… enhance six different communities, and bring awareness to what we do year around throughout the County.”
Partners for Parks has been a part of the Open Streets team since the first-ever event in 2016. Participating in programming that fosters equitable access to parks, connectivity, and healthy community is a natural fit.
“By routing the Corridors Connect through the communities’ existing assets, residents get to experience their local park, greenway, and school as a single connected network of public spaces that they can walk or roll around – with safe and comfortable separation from cars,” said Partners for Parks board member Emily Condon. “Partners for Parks believes that when biking and walking to public space is made accessible to neighbors of all ages, the community opens up.”
Unlike previous events that generally featured a mashup of commercial and residential districts, the Corridors Connect events will showcase mostly residential areas with more compact routes that also include neighborhood schools and parks. Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation staff will provide a variety of activities to serve all ages. Expect to see fitness classes, bike lessons, arts and crafts, sports clinics, and maybe even line dancing! Food, music, and other arts and entertainment programming is in the works, too.
Neighborhoods in Charlotte’s east and west corridors aren’t generally the focus of community engagement opportunities. Bringing open streets type programming into these Corridors of Opportunity is one way the city is working to invest equitably across the communities it serves.
“Like the original open streets events, Corridors Connect events will be unique, public opportunities focused on community health, connectivity, and civic engagement,” said Walta Blackmon, Corridors of Opportunity Program Manager at the City of Charlotte. “These Corridors are vital to the health of Charlotte’s communities, serving as links that connect people to the resources and businesses they need to live and thrive.”
Connecting people in a, “healthful, carefree, and social atmosphere,” is a longstanding program goal for Open Streets 704. The Corridors Connect events continue that effort this fall.
“I believe these events are a great avenue to bring people together,” added Tryon. “I hope the residents of each corridor can meet new folks, learn about a new business or organization and have fun participating in an activity.”
Corridors Connect Open Streets Events:
- October 8: I-85/Sugar Creek Road and Albemarle Road/Central Avenue
- October 15: Beatties Ford Road/ Rozzelles Ferry Road and Graham Street/ North Tryon Street
- October 22: West Boulevard and Freedom Drive/Wilkinson Boulevard
