GREENFIELD — Fun and fitness are the themes of the day for Saturday’s festival in downtown Greenfield.
Greenfield Main Street will host the North Street Fitness Festival on North Street between Pennsylvania and State streets.
The event will feature a variety of fitness-related activities, live music and food.
Shelley Swift, program manager of Greenfield Main Street, said organization members hope the fitness festival will be the first of several festivals on North Street, which has been designated as a festival corridor in the city’s downtown revitalization plan.
City officials would like to see this section of North Street close occasionally for similar events, said city planner Joanie Fitzwater.
They designated North Street as a festival corridor to create activity on a downtown street that has traditionally seen few businesses and activity, she said.
“It’s really starting to happen,” she said. “We’re fortunate that we have (Greenfield) Main Street that’s helping to program it. We’re implementing the plan, and that is really exciting.”
Last year, a similar fitness event was held on Main Street.
This year’s event takes place from 1 to 7 p.m. and is packed with fun things to do, Swift said.
The Colts Play 60 Zone, Colts in Motion and the Pacers Fan Van will be on site for attendees with an interest in sports.
Swift is optimistic the presence of local professional sports organizations will prove to be a draw for young families.
“We’re really excited about the Colts and Pacers coming out,” Swift said. “We hope they’ll encourage folks to come out and have a good time.”
Hancock Wellness Center is helping to sponsor the free event and is hosting several fitness demonstrations, including a Zumba session.
Yvette Dixon, program and operations manager, said the wellness center and Hancock Regional Hospital hope to make the community as a whole healthier, and the fitness festival is a way for them to do so by combining exercise with entertainment.
“We want to be very integrated with the community. We try to partner as much as we can with the parks department, the downtown businesses and the city,” she said. “Integration is key to a healthy community. When we all pull together, everything gets stronger.”
In addition to the Zumba class, the wellness center also will provide body fat analysis and body mass index at no cost to attendees.
The event’s goal is to make fitness fun, Swift said.
“Everything is focused on fitness,” she said. “And we just invite everyone from the greater Greenfield area to come out and have a good time.”
Greenfield Main Street picked fitness as a theme because it’s also a focus for the Greenfield Coalition, a group of community stakeholders working to revitalize the downtown area.
The American Heart Association is hosting HeartChase, a competition that’s a cross between Minute-to-Win-it and the Amazing Race, on Saturday morning.
The event is not associated with the festival, but organizers are encouraging residents to attend the event before coming out to the festival.
Both are fitness-related, Swift said, so families can spend an entire day outdoors enjoying the activities.
She’s excited for the festival and hopes it will encourage residents to enjoy downtown as it becomes more vibrant with new restaurants and retail.
“We hope downtown becomes more of a destination,” she said. “This is a great way to show everyone what downtown Greenfield has to offer.”
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The North Street Fitness Festival is scheduled from 1 to 7 p.m. Saturday on North Street between Pennsylvania and State streets in Downtown Greenfield.
Attendees should park in public parking lots at South and Pennsylvania streets, South Street and American Legion Place, East and Main streets, and in the alley between North and Main streets.
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1 p.m.: Opening announcements; Bikes in Bloom presentation
1 to 5 p.m.: Colts Play 60 Zone
1:30 to 2:30 p.m.: Zumba
2:30 to 3 p.m.: Martial arts
3 to 3:30 p.m.: CrossFit
3:30 to 4 p.m.: Cooking with herbs
4 to 4:30 p.m.: POUND Workout
4 to 6 p.m.: Colts in Motion
4:30 to 5 p.m.: Preschool gymnastics
5 to 6 p.m.: Greenfield Police Department versus Greenfield Fire Department in a 3-on-3 basketball tournament
5 to 7 p.m.: Pacers Van Fan
5:30 to 6 p.m.: Music by Lydia Ferguson
6 to 7 p.m.: Music by Two Pony Rig
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