Second Summer Parkways party on Sunday

The second of three Spokane Summer Parkways on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. will fill several streets around Franklin, Clark and Ruth parks with bicycle riders, walkers and skaters.

The event, a celebration of nonmotorized mobility and fitness, will feature stops for dancing, yoga and other activities in what could be described as a rolling street party.

The route across the North Hill Neighborhood has no formal starting point or finish. Participants jump in anywhere along the way.

Sunday’s fun will run up and down Whitehouse Street along the west sides of Franklin and Ruth parks with small loops and spurs at either end. Walton Avenue will be used to connect with Clark Park at Division Street and Garland Avenue.

Summer Parkways is in its second year in Spokane. Two events last year drew about 2,500 participants.

A parkways event last month saw participants converge at Comstock Park and surrounding neighborhood.

Organizers said they have chosen neighborhood routes this year because participants seemed to prefer that type of setting over last year’s run from Riverfront to Corbin parks.

Summer Parkways is patterned after similar events that sprung up around the world after the concept took root in Bogota, Colombia.

The summer’s third and final Spokane parkways will be Aug. 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. from Audubon Park on Northwest Boulevard north to Webster Park and Albi Stadium.

In all the events, streets are closed to through traffic to give participants full use of the pavement. However, residents living on the route may drive through intersections monitored by volunteers in what organizers describe as “soft closures.”