West Hartford Community Takes to the Streets for Annual ‘Center Streets’ Event
The seventh Center Streets drew a crowd as a loop around West Hartford Center was closed to vehicular traffic for several hours on Sunday.
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
By Ronni Newton
You could find virtually every variety of wheeled transportation in West Hartford Center on Sunday morning as people of all ages turned out in force for the annual Center Streets event, now in its seventh year.
There were toddlers on balance bikes or tricycles, young children on bikes with training wheels, e-bikes, cargo bikes, all sorts of bike trailers, scooters, rollerblades, strollers – and many people just strolling around as a loop around West Hartford Center was closed to vehicle traffic for several hours Sunday for what’s often called a “block party on wheels.” The event is traditionally held on the Sunday before school resumes.
Ethan (left) and Tracey Frankel of Bike West Hartford. Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets organizer Ethan Frankel said it’s really hard to determine how many attend, the event because they’re constantly moving, and he estimated perhaps 1,800 people participated, based on estimates from previous events. “It’s so hard to estimate how many people come to Center Streets because they come from all directions and they just fill the streets like it’s magic.”
The weather helped make the event a success. It was warm, but not too hot – perfect for spending time outdoors. “I think this could be the busiest Center Streets that we’ve had in the seven Center Streets that we’ve had.”
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Perhaps the most unusual bike that could be Sunday was the “Penny Farthing” antique bicycle who makes an annual appearance, Frankel said. “A lot of cargo bikes, a lot of e-bikes are out these days. Everything wheeled – except for cars” could be spotted, he said. And there were also great “Nightfall” puppets from Anne Cubberly, and Suburban Escape Plan playing music for three hours, he noted.
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Local organizations and business sponsors hosted booths along Farmington Avenue, and near the intersection of LaSalle Road and Farmington Avenue there was also an area set aside for children to draw with chalk, practice hula hooping, and play cornhole and other games.
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
New this year was a “pop up” bike lane that created a safe pathway to the event from the Trout Brook Trail. Members of the community donated to a successful GoFundMe campaign last week to pay for the expenses for additional West Hartford Police directing traffic and Public Works crews who set up cones to see what it would be like to have a protected bike lane from the trail into the Center.
Roads were closed to vehicles for the duration of the Center Streets event in a rectangular loop that included Farmington Avenue (from LaSalle Road to South Main Street), the southbound lanes of South Main Street to the Memorial Road extension, the Memorial Road extension to LaSalle Road, and the entire stretch of LaSalle Road up to Farmington Avenue.
Although the Town of West Hartford personnel are physically involved in closing off the streets, the event is entirely run by volunteers and is a public-private partnership with all costs paid for by sponsors.
Pop Up bike lane from Trout Brook Trail headed west up Farmington Avenue. Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Center Streets West Hartford. Aug. 25, 2024. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
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