Visit Emporia Debuts Empovía Event

Visit Emporia Debuts Empovía Event — Open Street. Active Life.

The team at Visit Emporia is preparing to launch a new annual event involving community action. Join us, along with your friends and neighbors, on Saturday, September 17, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., at Peter Pan Park for the first annual Empovía. (It’s pronounced em-po-VEE-ah.)

Empovía is a uniquely local approach to a global phenomenon, known as ciclovías (pronounced (see-cloe-VEE-yas). In Spanish, Ciclovía refers to the permanent or temporary closure of a network of streets to cars so that they become open to human-powered movement. Emporia + Ciclovía = Empovía! Visit Emporia Director LeLan Dains says, “Open streets festivals are commonplace across the globe. We felt it was high time that Emporia put our own spin on it! We are excited to create a space for movement and creativity while increasing awareness of one of our top attractions, Peter Pan Park.”

Participants will have the opportunity to use a temporarily closed section of streets to ride, skate, rollerblade, scoot, walk, jog, and/or run in an environment completely closed to auto traffic. Empovía provides an opportunity to promote healthy living and sustainable transportation alternatives, as well as elevate and celebrate the community. Participants are encouraged to use normal right-of-way traffic flow to make laps on the nearly .5-mile section of closed road. No motorized vehicles (automobiles, motorcycles, etc), or pets will be allowed in this area.

Food truck vendors and live music will be available as well as key community partners like the Art Mobile, local bike shops, Emporia Rec Center, and more! Parking will be available at Riverside Elementary School, 327 S. West Street.

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Visit Emporia is a destination marketing organization promoting Emporia to potential visitors and serves as the official Visitor Information Center for Emporia offering brochures and maps of Emporia, surrounding areas and the State of Kansas. www.visitemporia.com.