Kent State University faculty, staff and students are invited to ride a bicycle or walk along the Lefton Esplanade for the fifth annual “Let’s Take a Ride/Walk” event on Thursday, Sept. 10. “Let’s Take a Ride/Walk” is a free event that encourages the Kent State community to adopt walking and biking as part of a healthy lifestyle and enjoy the dining and shopping opportunities in the city of Kent as part of the Town-Gown initiative.
Participants must register before Tuesday, Sept. 1, as the event is limited to the first 150 registrants. Registered participants will meet in the Kent Student Center Kiva lobby at 11:30 a.m. and walk or bike to the Kent State Hotel and Conference Center via the Lefton Esplanade. Those who would prefer to ride a bicycle can either bring their own or rent one from Flashfleet, a free bicycle rental service operated by the university.
When the walkers and bikers arrive at the Kent State Hotel and Conference Center, they will be served a free lunch, compliments of Miracle on Main Street (M.O.M.S.), a source for office furniture and supplies. At the event, participants also will have the chance to learn about upcoming changes and new opportunities on campus. Kent State’s Office of the University Architect will present and describe the new Summit Street Improvement Project, along with available alternative transportation options. Kent State’s Office of Sustainability will address progress on campus and the expansion of Zipcars on campus, a car-sharing network for students.
Participants also will receive gift bags filled with promotional items and coupons to Kent restaurants and businesses. Students who participate will earn 300 FLASHperks reward points.
Marty Mundy, a Kent State’s facilities planner and co-chair of the event committee, says she sees “Let’s Take a Ride/Walk” as a way to continually inform the Kent State community about the current opportunities the city has to offer.
“My hope is that even more Kent State faculty and staff will have lunch and spend after-work time and weekends in downtown Kent, shopping, dining and attending special events,” Mundy says.
Seating at the table and checking participants in for the "Let's Take a Ride/Walk" event are Marty Mundy, facilities planner at Kent State and event co-chair, and Melanie Knowles, Kent State's sustainability manager. University Wellness Coordinator Laura Kenney also is looking forward to the event and sees it as a chance to bridge campus to downtown.
“We view this event as a way to continue the growth of the town-gown relationship,” Kenney says. “With the close proximity of the university to the town, faculty, staff and students have the opportunity to visit the many eating establishments, shops and businesses.”
“Let’s Take a Ride/Walk” was created in 2010 and was a result of a Kent State Sustainability Task Force that sought an environmentally friendly way to encourage the Kent State community to connect with downtown.
“With the construction of the new Esplanade a few years ago, we felt that this physical link needed to have an event that actually brought people from campus to downtown Kent,” says Alex Piteo, president of M.O.M.S. and co-chair of the event. “We wanted it to be a low-environmental impact event and promote the idea of taking a walk or riding a bike downtown for lunch or to do some quick shopping. It feels good to get out and take a refreshing break on a regular basis rather than just sit at your desk.”
To register for “Let’s Take a Ride/Walk,” visit http://tinyurl.com/KSURideWalk2015.
For more information about Flashfleet, visit www.kent.edu/recservices/commonly-asked-questions-0.
For more information about “Let’s Take a Ride/Walk,” contact Mundy at 330-672-9618 or Piteo at 330-673-6115.
Kent State University students, faculty and staff stop for
a photo under the arch on the Lefton Esplanade before
heading to lunch provided by Kent State's Sustainability
Task Force and the Miracle on Main Street (M.O.M.S.)
office.
Seating at the table and checking participants in for the
"Let's Take a Ride/Walk" event are Marty Mundy,
facilities planner at Kent State and event co-chair, and
Melanie Knowles, Kent State's sustainability manager.