WALKING TALL
Snow fails to stop Wednesday Walk in Spa City
The snow didn’t stop people from participating in the first Wednesday Walk on Broadway to promote heath and wellness.
Participants walked a mile, beginning and ending at Adirondack Trust location at 473 Broadway.
“We definitely would have had a bigger crowd [today] if it weren’t for snow. We decided the target audience for that was people already living and working downtown,” Todd Shimkus, president of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, said. “We cancelled two events [Wednesday night] that you would have to drive to, but we kept this one because it was purely a walking event. Broadway is a beautiful place to walk in the snow. That’s why we decided to go forward with it.”
Meteorologists said the snowfall was supposed to stop around 8 p.m. Wednesday with anywhere from 8 to 10 inches of snow on the ground.
According to the Na-
tional Weather Service, Wilton had received 6 inches of snow as of 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Snow began falling mid-morning, making for difficult driving conditions throughout the afternoon.
However, state police said there weren’t any major accidents as of 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Due to the storm, Saratoga Springs City School District was closed, while Saratoga County offices, including the Clifton Park, Wilton and Ballston Spa DMVs, closed at noon Wednesday.
Saratoga Springs City Hall, including the Recreation Department, also closed at noon Wednesday.
The city remains in a snow emergency until Friday, Feb. 9.
All vehicles on city streets, expect alternate side parking streets, must be moved to a plowed or cleared area.
It’s unlawful to park or stand a motor vehicle for any continuous period of time in excess of 12 hours except for those streets posted for alternate side parking.
Shimkus organized the Wednesday Walk after being inspired by Espey Manufacturing on Route 50. Last year, Shimkus joined employees on a Wednesday in the midst of their weekly program encouraging 80 employees to walk a mile using the Railroad Run trail adjacent to their facility.
This week, the chamber is sponsoring a Health and Wellness week, encouraging county residents to use local businesses to accomplish their health and wellness goals for the year. Shimkus explained how many places, like Vent and Custom Fitness, offer free classes for yoga, spinning and high intensity workouts; and not just this week, but throughout the year.
“The commitment among these businesses to helping people improve their health and wellness is really extraordinary and that’s what this week celebrates,” said Shimkus.
The Wednesday Walk — which included going down Lake Avenue, crossing Henry Street before turning onto Spring Street as the group made its way back to Broadway — is something Shimkus hopes to continue, especially as the weather gets better.
“We’ve got a great downtown to walk through and it’s healthy activity and it brings people together,” said Shimkus.