HYANNIS – Open Streets will return to Hyannis this weekend for a day of walking, dancing, biking and socializing along Main Street as traffic is closed to and thousands of pedestrians flock to one of the Cape’s busiest roadways.
The semi-annual event is sponsored by the Greater Hyannis Civic Association, thy Hyannis Main Street Business Improvement District, the Greater Hyannis Chamber of Commerce, as well as local business owners and residents.
The festivities get underway on Sunday from 12 to 5 p.m. on Main Street in Hyannis.
The local event is one of a hundred similar Open Streets to transform busy towns across America. The purpose is not only to spur local business and keep money in the community, but also to foster increased usage of self-powered transportation.
The organizations partnered to bring the program to Hyannis last year, hosting a handful of events across the shoulder seasons.
“By closing the streets and keeping the cars off, we have people of all abilities, all ages, who come down and just enjoy what has been beautiful weather and a lot of great activity,” said Deb Krau, the president of the civic association.
The day includes live music, hula-hoop classes, inflatable kids’ toys, multiple face-paint stations, balloons, jugglers, a free yoga class, balloon twisting, octopus ring toss, coloring, and a free origami tutorial.
“One of the things we’ve seen in the Hyannis Open Streets we’ve held to date is people are running into people they grew up with, people they’ve been involved with in other events and they just get together, get caught up, sit down at one of the restaurants and have some coffee,” Krau said.
The community was fully involved as well, with businesses opening their doors to host events, and numerous volunteers throughout the street. Jane Walsh, owner of Main Street’s Red Fish Blue Fish could be seen at last month’s event peddling a petty cap up and down the street. She bought it just for the occasion.
This will be the last Open Streets Event on the Cape for 2017.
By DAVID BEATTY, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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