7/5/2012 - West Side Leader
     

CUYAHOGA FALLS — Older adults participating in the Cuyahoga Falls Strollers have been hitting the trails in local parks for more than 30 years.

The recreational program is open to adults 50 and older from all local communities, according to Janet Verchio, senior adult supervisor for Cuyahoga Falls Parks and Recreation, which coordinates the group.

Verchio said she has worked for the city for 25 years, and the Strollers have been around longer than that, possibly 30 or 32 years.

“They started out doing the [Metro Parks, Serving Summit County] Fall Hiking Spree,” she said. “Then, in the spring they would go out and hike their own schedule.”

The group meets for spring hiking starting in April and begins the season with a kickoff luncheon. The hikes are scheduled for every Tuesday though August.

Participants meet at 9 a.m. at the Quirk Cultural Center, 102 Grant Ave., and carpool to that week’s site, Verchio said. Following the hike, which is usually a little more than a mile, the Strollers go to a nearby restaurant for lunch.

Upcoming hikes are July 10 at Munroe Fall’s Brust Park with lunch at the Tip Top; July 16 on the Herrick Fen Trail in Kent with lunch at Yours Truly in Hudson; and July 24 in Peninsula on the Oak Hill Trail, with lunch at Fisher’s.

Verchio said about 25 people participate most weeks. Those who don’t feel they can walk the entire trail are encouraged to go as far as they can and then return to the starting point to meet the others, she added.

Once September rolls around, the group then participates in the Hiking Spree, finishing up in October with a banquet.

Verchio said in the past the Strollers have organized some overnight trips, and she is hoping the group will again do that, with destinations typically state parks.

“We’re a very outdoorsy group,” she said.

She added that some members have been taking part in the weekly walks for years.

“A lot of them do it because it gets them their exercise and they are doing it in a group,” she said. “It’s more fun to do it as a group.”

For more information on the Strollers, call 330-971-8425.