As the sun blared down on the muggy Fairfax summer day, the city celebrated its parks and trails with a morning of events held in conjunction with the American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day, Saturday, June 2.
The morning kicked off with two running races, a 1-mile and a 5K event, at Daniels Run Elementary. The races, which made up the first annual Fit Families Running Festival, attracted more than 300 runners. Trails Day not only celebrates the city’s parks and trails, but it encourages people to get out and utilize them, said City Councilmember Patrice Winter.
"If everyone can get out [to Trails Day] and see what’s available, then maybe they’ll come out and take advantage of the amenities that the city has to offer."
Northern Virginia Hiking Club, the Northern Virginia Geocaching Organization, local Boy Scouts, Fairfax County 4-H Clubs and the Washington Humane Society set up exhibits of each organization’s respective outdoor and recreational products and services.
The city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, or PRAB, hosts the event, which is completely volunteer-driven, said Mike McCarty, the city’s parks and recreation director. PRAB honors a city resident that has contributed to parks and trails at every Trails Day event in recent years.
This year the board honored former Mayor John Mason for his "passion and vision for the city’s trails systems," said Brian Knapp, chairman of PRAB. Mason was a PRAB member in the 1980s, and spearheaded the city’s development of its trails, said Knapp.
— Lauren Glendenning