South Hill welcomes hundreds of outdoor enthusiasts at annual Summer Parkways event

Some things in life are never forgotten – things like riding a bike.

And hundreds of people at Tuesday evening’s Summer Parkways event in the Manito and Comstock neighborhoods of the South Hill showcased their skills.

“The idea comes from Bogota, Colombia,” said Summer Parkways coordinator Julie Banks. “Every Sunday, they would close down the city streets for the community.”

The Colombians call it a Ciclovia, which means “bike path.” Banks and dozens of other volunteers liked the idea, so they decided to implement it locally for the first day of summer.

From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, families rode through the cordoned-off streets, played games in the park – such as street hockey and golf – and chatted with friends.

“He got his training wheels off last year,” Tawni Evans said of her son Jesse, who at 3 years old can already keep up with his older sisters on his bright-yellow bike.

His trusty ride has a golden bike bell and a green license plate on the back – it reads “JESSE” in bold, white letters.

Other children tried to keep pace with their parents as they rode through the streets or up mountains of dirt, only to stumble at the top.

Some of the youngest preferred to let their parents do all of the work as they watched from cozy bike trailers.

Still, some preferred to observe from afar.

Emory Lake, with the help of her younger sisters, decided it would be best to try to make some money from this yearly event. She set up a water and frozen treats stand and charged $1 apiece for her merchandise.

“She’s been begging me to do a lemonade stand,” said Emory’s mother, Sadie Lake.

Knowing that many people don’t carry cash these days, the 7-year-old entrepreneur even offered a Square card reader on an iPad – “Visa and Mastercard,” a hand-drawn sign read.

“Water coming right up,” she shouted to a family making a much-needed pit stop. Despite the pleasant weather, Emory wore a blue North Face jacket, which her mother can’t seem to get her to wear when it’s cold out.

“She was disappointed when I told her she had to let her sisters help,” Sadie Lake said.

According to Banks, who’s been part of the steering committee since Summer Parkways started in 2010, the June event has been the most popular, leading the group to consolidate to one event, rather than the three they’ve held throughout the year in the past.

“We’re sticking with the winner,” she said.

And that’s totally fine for Emory Lake, who plans to expand once her stand takes off. She only netted about $7 – mostly from friends, her mother said – but that hasn’t stopped her future business ambitions.

“It’s been fun, and people will buy stuff,” she said.“I’m saving up until we get enough money to get a building to run a shop. It’s going to be a cookie shop.”