Circle The City launches June 24th, July 15th and August 5th

Contact: Jessica Parsons This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it 617-522-2700
This summer, thousands of residents and visitors will get out and play, dance, roll, walk and bike along car-free corridors in the streets and parks of Boston with Circle The City. Circle The City, a new Open Streets initiative connecting people to parks, will launch this summer on June 24th, July 15th and August 5th. A 2012 Urban Signature Project of the America’s Great Outdoors initiative (AGO), Circle The City (CTC) is a collaborative venture of the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, the Boston Collaborative for Food and Fitness, LivableStreets Alliance, Franklin Park Coalition. The Rose Kennedy Greenway and the City of Boston

Boston joins the growing number of cities across the U.S. and the world that feature temporary car-free corridors for safe, active transportation on bikes, on foot, and on human-powered wheels. With community-building, healthy lifestyles and park accessibility at its heart, CTC will engage participants of
every age and background, featuring free activities that promote healthy living in the city and celebrate some of our greatest urban resources—our parks.

“Circle The City is about connecting all Boston residents more deeply with parks and open spaces, promoting opportunities for greater health and wellness, and making our city a more vibrant place to live," said Julie Crockford, President of the Emerald Necklace Conservancy.

CTC kicks off in Franklin Park on June 24th with free activities and a live performance of a Boston Pops ensemble. There will be bikes to ride, fitness and yoga classes, sports clinics, activities for kids, walks and bike rides, and live music and dance performances for all. On July 15th, CTC will connect Franklin Park and Jamaica Pond on safe, car-free streets, and on August 5th, CTC will feature a car-free corridor along the Rose Kennedy Greenway downtown. Join us as we walk, bike, roll, play and celebrate together in summer 2012!

2012 Circle The City Schedule

Sunday, June 24th, 1-5pm - Franklin Park Kick-off

Circle The City launches with a kick-off event in Franklin Park! Free activities for all ages will include:

• Fitness and Yoga classes, Zumba and Hula Hooping
• Street Hockey clinics with the Boston Bruins
• Bikes and instruction with Boston Bikes
• Kids' art and nature activities
• Walks and bike rides
• Kickball, Basketball, Frisbee golf, Tennis
• Healthy Food Trucks
• Kites
• Music and dance performances
• A 4pm concert with the Boston POPS Brass Ensemble

Common Boston will also co-sponsor two exciting CTC activities:
10am: Join Alan Banks of the National Park Service for a 5-mile walk of the Emerald Necklace from the Emerald Necklace Conservancy Visitor Center to Franklin Park.
2pm: Join Laurie Pessah of Toole Design Group for a 2-hour bike ride from Boston Common to Franklin Park.

Sunday, July 15th, 11am-4pm – Franklin Park and Jamaica Pond

Circle The City will feature a car-free corridor between Franklin Park and Jamaica Pond. Come out and walk, bike, roll and play with us on Open Streets! Many of the free activities listed above will be back!

Sunday, August 5th, 10am-1pm – Rose Kennedy Greenway

Circle The City will feature a car-free corridor along the Rose Kennedy Greenway downtown. Come out and celebrate the city with us along the Greenway and the Boston waterfront!

Lead sponsors of Circle The City are The Barr Foundation and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. Other sponsors include the Boston Globe. CTC is currently seeking enthusiastic volunteers and activity providers! For more information, please visit: http://www.emeraldnecklace.org/circle-the-city/.

About America’s Great Outdoors: Established in 2010 in an effort to develop a 21st Century conservation and recreation agenda, America’s Great Outdoors is an initiative of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. The New England Regional Office of the Environmental Protection Agency nominated Circle The City for this distinction.