Neighbors Turn Out to Walk & Roll on E. 185th Street

What is more American than a Parade?!

The E. 185th Street Merchants Association hosted their first annual Walk & Roll E185 on Saturday, June 18, with lots of fun, free, family activities and plenty to see up and down the street. The event kicked off with a parade at 10:00, followed by a bike rodeo and sidewalk sale that stretched the length of the district.

The Collinwood Cycle celebration featured bike safety and riding tips, bike lock give-aways, and also two guided bike rides through the neighborhood. The sidewalk sale and festival included four different arts activity areas, provided by Waterloo Arts, that included mural painting, chalk art, wacky musical instruments, and a make-and-take craft tent. Five bands played country, blues, polka, steel drum and gospel music. And vendors lined the street with tables, selling local goods or sharing information about non-profit and community organizations. A bounce house added to the fun. And many groups also featured giveaways - the kids had fun gathering candy, stickers, and balloons, and getting their faces painted. Added to the candy they gathered while they watched the morning parade. Many kids went home with full goodie bags! And on top of it all, the merchants raffled off 11 bicycles, which now have new homes, and are helping more residents become enthusiastic cyclists.

A nice feature of this event was that everything was free, thanks to a Neighborhood Connections Grant awarded to the E. 185th Street Merchants, who planned the event. Barbara Liddell, owner of Bari Health and Beauty and one of the organizers, said, "We wanted to give something back to the community, and to give people a fun day out in the neighborhood. These are the kinds of things that bring our community together, and make this a better place." Sandra McKinney, owner of McKinney Printing and another lead organizer, also pointed out how much support the community provided: "We couldn't have done this without the help of so many great sponsors. Our local stakeholders really showed that they care about our community, and we appreciate that."

Sponsors of this year's Walk & Roll E. 185 included Euclid Hospital, VASJ High School, the City of Euclid, Northeast Shores, Moxie Studios, Keep It Local Cleveland, ImageMart, Quix Food Store, Skufca Trophy, Frederick & Berler, Ohio City Bike Co-op, Maverick Insurance, Accel Schools, Artistic By Design Center, Furlong & Co. Insurance Agency, Helping Hands Daycare, Inside Out Training & Equipping, and Martin's Men's Wear.
Organizers say they are committed to growing the event next year, and encourage residents, businesses and community groups to get involved.

For information, contact WalkAndRollE185@gmail.com, or visit them on Facebook at Walk & Roll E.185.

Sarah Gyorki

Resident of neighborhood since 1956. Worked on East 185th street since 1970.

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