Join Sebastopol's Car-Free Day Celebration - Sunday, May 2

[Portia]

Car-Lite, LITE Initiatives, Transition Sebastopol and the Sebastopol Farmers Market are inviting you and more than 1,000 other people to visit the Town Plaza between 10am and 1 pm on May 2- without their car!!! Folks are encouraged to travel by foot, skates, skateboard, bike or any other kind of human powered transit. If you live out of town, consider parking near a bike path and walking or riding in from there; carpooling is also an environmentally friendly option– invite your neighbors to join you. Safety is our coalition’s top priority and we discourage you from doing anything risky. Please don’t take your first ever bike ride down Highway 116 or 12 on May 2.

To make your effort more obvious, please wear green or orange and/or wear a “Car-Free today!” tag, note or sign. Cyclists need only carry their helmets.

Car-Free Day activities include the first ever Spiral Downtown Walk with Mayor Sarah Gurney, Kids and Pets Bike Parade with the Hub Bub Club Street Band, a special bike ride led by Andy Bunell and perhaps much more...

Volunteer help wanted! Street entertainers and clowns are needed as well as artsy types to help kids decorate their bikes and help folks make “Car-Free today!” inspired art. Parade line-up starts at noon at the Skate Park. Perhaps a team of friends would like to set up a bike decorating table there at 11:30 and then move it to the plaza at 12:15. Help is also needed with gathering art supplies, set-up and monitoring.

This week and next, volunteers are needed to discuss driving-less and Car-Free Day with their church and other local groups they belong to. We also need help asking local business owners to offer car-free people small treats and to chip in for the signs and banners.

The second 2010 Sebastopol Car-Free Day Celebration will be on Sunday June 6. Again Sebastopolians are asked to use human powered transit – your feet, to get to the Plaza between 10am and 1pm. We are also considering inviting walkers and cyclists from all over Sonoma County to visit Sebastopol that day. If folks are willing to help organize these events we will have a car-free celebration the first Sunday of every month through the Fall. And an extra special one on World Car-Free Day – Wednesday, September 22: www.worldcarfree.net/wcfd

Suggestions and comments are very welcome – please send a note to [email protected] or leave a message at LITE/Community Bikes: 579-5811.

Thanks, Portia
www.liteinit.org
(new website under development thanks to SRJC and JJ Love)

PS Remember to bring your reusable shopping bags.