An event next week aims to promote accessible trails and resources in and around Livingston County for individuals of all abilities.

“Run. Walk. Roll the Trails” will take place Tuesday, August 6th from 10am to 1pm at Kensington Metropark’s East Boat Launch Picnic Shelter. The Livingston County Health Department is hosting the event in partnership with The Arc Livingston, Livingston County Planning, Livingston Center for Independent Living, and Kensington Metropark. It was inspired by the Livingston County ADA Accessible Trail Guide, which depicts parks with ADA compliant trails in the county.

LCHD Health Promotion Specialist Erica Grochowski says the ADA guide got such a good response, they thought it would be great to promote trail recreation with an event. She says the 2014/2015 Community Health Status Assessment found that adults with a disability were less likely to engage in leisure time physical activity than adults without a disability. Grochowski says physical activity is important to overall health and ensuring opportunities for all people to engage in physical activity is just as important.

She tells WHMI the event is an opportunity for individuals of all abilities to explore Kensington Metropark and experience accessible trail recreation, check out community resources and participate in various activities. Those include a wildlife talk from Kensington Metropark’s interpreter, LCHD tick education, and demonstrations of Track Chairs, which are all-terrain wheelchairs that can handle hills and uneven terrain.

Grochowski says guests can enter a raffle to win one of 10 2019 Metropark passes and the Michigan DNR will be providing the track chair demos, which are currently available at Mayberry State Park and Waterloo Recreation Area but coming soon to Island Lake Recreation Area. L.E.T.S. will be providing free transportation to and from the Health Department and Kensington Metropark’s East Boat Launch Picnic Shelter for the event. The bus schedule can be found through the provided registration link. The first 50 cars to register will receive a voucher for entry into the park for the event.

While people can just show up at the event, an RSVP is preferred for planning purposes. The event will be held rain or shine and guests are encouraged to bring their own water, a rain poncho, bug spray and sunscreen. (JM)