Bill,
This sounds like a great idea! I am not on the board but I am eager to talk with anyone in town, with the city or citizen advocates, about Open Street type festivals. Certainly something could be organized to promote inclusion of cycles and enthusiasts for the July 28 event!
On July 12 I have asked for some time to speak with the bike board regarding:
- develop a plan for community-based, organized and executed bicycle and foot traffic public events mirroring larger cities like Atlanta and Pittsburgh to include:
- daytime, multi-part community rotating street festival that encourages foot traffic and bicycling with vendors and businesses on city streets and neighborhoods
- evening time bicycle course with emphasis on community interaction, connection of neighborhoods, artistic expression and movement, and light-based decoration of bicycles — this event could be executed on the trail easily, though lighting, visibility, and safety are important considerations.
I am certain certain these are not new ideas, and especially the street ride portions would require plenty of calls and permitting, however I believe strongly that Morgantown would benefit as a whole community from this sort of regular event.
For inspiration, please take a look at the reference events I’ll share with the larger group on July 12:
https://www.atlantastreetsalive.com/https://atlantamoonride.com/https://openstreetspgh.org/