The “Woodland Walkers” began as a simple idea. My husband and I take walks almost every evening. We reasoned that sharing a walk with community members every now and then in order to bring people closer together was a simple thing. Community is, after all, made up of people. You have to get to know your neighbors in order to have a functioning community. And, as I’m fond of saying, if you can’t take a walk in your neighborhood, then it’s not your neighborhood.
As an LGBTQ+ couple living on the north side of Springfield, my husband and I have had our share of issues. Most days are fine. Most weeks are the same. But there are moments that test you. And, after any incident options presented are few. You can go inside and lock your door forever or you can push.
I love my evening walks. And the world doesn’t change if you stop being seen.
I began talking to neighbors about these things, and I tried sharing the joy of experiencing the city on foot. When pressed about the dangers of pedestrian life in Springfield, I had to admit some of my neighbors’ expressed concerns were valid. Though the vast majority of our five years worth of evening walks had been calm and peaceful, we had encountered a few unsettling moments too. Many neighbors expressed a strong desire to experience the city in a new way, but they were apprehensive about doing this alone.
So “Woodland Walkers” was born. The idea was simple. We began announcing (usually weekly) dates for group walks. Neighborhood residents were invited to meet at Lafayette Park. From there we did something revolutionary. As a group of neighbors, we wandered our neighborhood on foot. And we explored together. And we talked to each other. We got to know each other. And we experienced the slower beauty of the world at a stroll’s pace.
Once we ran out of neighborhood to explore in Woodland Heights, we started taking field trips. At first this just consisted of walks to Historic C-Street or to Washington Park in Midtown. Our walking groups sometimes swelled to over 15 people. Eventually, we got up the courage to form a few “walking buses.” This was our term for longer trips with an agenda. So far our “walking buses” have consisted of trips downtown to participate in free events (i.e. music in Founders Park) and we’ve managed to wrangle groups of up to 10 neighbors for these “buses.” It is quite amazing to see 10 neighbors gather, walk two miles together, enjoy an event and then walk two miles back home together, all in the evening, on the north side of Springfield.
Winter has kept us from doing our Woodland walks for the last few months. Though my husband and I still wander the streets in winter time, I can’t always convince others to do the same. Hopefully in the coming months we can continue our group walks, though. Maybe this time with more structure. And I’m seeing a “walking bus” tour of downtown’s Sculpture Walk in our future.
The entire idea is simple: everyone should be able to take a walk in their city. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you are from, what you look like, what creed you claim, who you are attracted to or how you identify. These streets belong to you. This city is your city. These neighborhoods are your neighborhoods. No one should be afraid to take a walk. And communities are made of people like you. In Woodland Heights, we hope to continue strengthening our community by walking our neighborhood’s streets—and beyond.
Stay tuned to Woodland Heights’ social media and website for future “Woodland Walker” dates.