Wednesday Walks designed to deepen Petalumans’ sense of community
Deb Fox, the co-founder and director of collaborations and operations for Cool Petaluma, was named the 2024 honor at gala event.
A group of local nonprofits has launched a new community activity with the elegantly alliterative title Wednesday Walks.
The idea is that in the months of August and September of this year, every Wednesday evening at 6 p.m., the populace of Petaluma is encouraged to leave their homes and walk to the public park that is nearest to them.
“We used to know our neighbors,” explains an announcement on the website of Cool Petaluma, one of the sponsoring organizations. “We used to spend time outside. Parks were where it happened – our modern-day commons, open to all, free of charge, no invitation needed. But life has changed. Many of us feel more isolated, more indoors and more disconnected from those around us.”
The uncomplicated antidote, the statement suggests, is connection.
“And connection often begins with something simple – a shared space,” the webpage, at coolpetaluma.org/events/wednesdaywalk, continues. “That’s why we’re starting Wednesday Walks. No agenda. No program. Just show up. Bring a friend, a sandwich, a soccer ball – or just yourself.”
Suggestions include taking a few loops around the park on foot, sitting on a bench, or eating dinner on a blanket, just to see what unfolds.
“Sometimes, it’s the surprise of bumping into someone you didn’t know lived nearby – or someone you already knew, but never realized lived so close,” the announcement points out. “These small, unexpected moments are how trust grows. How community returns.”
Organizers are careful to avoid presenting the weekly walks as an “event” per se, preferring them to be thought of as “a quiet rhythm, a weekly habit of presence, of rediscovering our shared spaces, and gently walking back to each other.”
David Templeton is the Community and Arts & Entertainment Editor of the Petaluma Argus-Courier. You can reach him at david.templeton@arguscourier.com.
