This Saturday, January 16 marks the second anniversary of the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association’s (BKBIA) walking club known as the Bixby Knolls Strollers. This weekend, the group will have walked approximately 374 miles together over the last two years. Each route averages between 3.5 and 3.9 miles and takes a new, scenic path each week.
Each Saturday morning at 7:15am between 40 and 50 people gather at It’s a Grind on Atlantic Avenue to greet each other, socialize, grab a quick cup of coffee and then, precisely at 7:30am, begin the weekly stroll of the neighborhood. “People go at their own pace. There are those that march right out at a race-walk pace to those that literally are just ambling along and chatting with friends,” said Blair Cohn, executive director of the BKBIA. “The purpose of the Strollers is to bring the community together and walk around the neighborhoods to become familiar with the businesses and other sites here in this part of the city. Each week I hear how people are discovering places they hadn’t seen before, and that is very satisfying. It’s a great group of people and many new friendships have grown out of the weekly strolls.”
Members of the group are informed through a weekly email reminder about other upcoming events like First Fridays, jazz concerts, the Supper Club, and the 8th District Council Office free night at the Aquarium of the Pacific.
The weekly strolls have included the business corridors, the Dominguez Gap, Rancho Los Cerritos, Scherer Park, Bixby Mansion on La Linda, Igor’s Alley, Forest Lawn Cemetery and the Los Cerritos, Virginia Country Club, Cal Heights and Sleepy Hollow neighborhoods. The group went “green” and walked to the blue line station on Wardlow then took the train downtown and strolled the waterfront. A number of Strollers have also participated the last two years in the Freedom Walk of the Veterans Day Parade as well as the 5K at the Long Beach Marathon. This year, seven Strollers increased their training and completed the half marathon.
There is no cost to join— only the commitment to get up early on a Saturday morning and get some exercise with other area residents. Everyone is welcome, including friendly dogs.
More Information
(562) 595-0081
