1. Free on Sunday afternoon WALKstock is a free community event, happening Sunday June 10 from noon to 4pm.
2. Good location It takes place at the International Friendship Gardens at Victoria & Waterloo. “I think this park is an under-utilized gem of the city,” says WALKstock creator Nancy Angus. “There’s so much richness in this urban walk: you see all kinds of birds but it’s also cool to see the history of the community groups who have put up tributes to their home countries. It’s a way to ‘walk the world.’”
3. Lots of kid-friendly activities More than 20 community groups will be at the festival. Some highlights for families:
• Go on a photo scavenger hunt When you arrive, get a paper ballot or load it on your phone. Follow the clues and pictures to find various locations in the park, and then enter for a chance to win a prize package from Fresh Air.
• Paint rocks As part of the Thunder Bay Public Library’s new “happiness rocks” program, paint some rocks to hide in the park for someone to discover, or see if you can find some on your walk.
• Walk the dog Get some dog-walking tips from The Dog Classroom and watch the dog agility training.
• Try pole walking Borrow some walking poles from Lappe Nordic Ski Club or the Thunder Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre.
• Munch on healthy snacks Little Lions Waldorf Child & Family Centre is providing “walking food bundles” plus a place to have a picnic. Bug-watching tools will also be available.
• Do a sketch The Thunder Bay Art Gallery is offering lessons on “travel sketching.” Why not stop and draw on your walk?
• Learn about Chinese culture The Lakehead Chinese Folk Music and Dance group is demonstrating tai chi and moves for walking warm-ups, as well as folk music and dance. • Decide to skip the gym At pop-up fitness stations around the park, local fitness instructors will be on hand to demonstrate walking warm-ups and cool-downs as well incorporating weigh-bearing exercises into your walk.
To keep on top of kid-friendly events around Thunder Bay, just visit tbaywithkids.ca or follow us on Facebook.
We were so pleased that WALKstock asked tbaywithkids.ca to write a post about their event! We traded: in exchange, the tbaywithkids.ca logo appears in their promo materials. The event is presented by EcoSuperior.