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Word on Weaver Street: Carrboro hosts annual Open Streets festival

Carrboro Open Streets Festival
Attendees of the Carrboro Open Streets Festival toss pizza dough into the air among many other recreational activities on Weaver St. on Sunday, April 8, 2018.

Hundreds of people made their way to downtown Carrboro to enjoy the sunshine and play in the middle of the street this Sunday. 

Carrboro hosted its 6th annual Carrboro Open Streets on April 8 to invite residents to interact with the community while staying active.

“It’s basically a way of encouraging the public to come onto the streets and keep cars out and be active and healthy and utilize the streets in a fun way,” Carrboro recreation supervisor Galen Poythress said. 

The town closed East and West Weaver Street from noon until 4 p.m. for local groups and businesses to set up stands in the middle of the road. 

Carrboro Parks and Recreation, which helped organize the event, asked each stand to offer activities that got people moving. KOTOX Taekwondo gave board-breaking demonstrations, Aidan’s Pizza taught kids how to correctly toss pizza dough and FIT on Main encouraged participants to try a sampling of workout gear, like battle ropes. 

When not taking part in an activity, kids could ride through the streets on scooters and bicycles. 

Ezra Roebuck from Pittsboro, age 9, said his favorite part of Open Streets was making a smoothie by pedaling a bicycle, hosted by the Carrboro Bicycle Coalition and Weaver Street Market. 

“It’s tasty,” said Roebuck.

Karinda Roebuck said her family attended Open Streets for the first time to see what it had to offer. 

“It’s cool, there’s lots of bike stuff,” said Karinda Roebuck. “It’s really nice.”

While Open Streets offered endless activities, some residents, like Caitlin Rimmel, a UNC graduate student, attended the event just to walk around. 

“I’ve been inside writing my thesis all weekend,” said Rimmel. “I’m mainly here for the dogs. That’s the best thing about Carrboro events.” 

Carrboro Open Streets is a free event. Jordan Beyle, Carrboro Recreation & Parks facility supervisor, said although they did not sell anything, the festival was a good way for businesses to connect with the community. 

“It’s a lot of publicity for a lot of groups and businesses, but at the same time it’s more just about cultivating community,” Beyle said. “It’s accessible to anybody. You don’t need resources or income to be able to enjoy this.” 

Poythress said this year’s Open Streets had a greater turnout than last year’s, despite the unseasonably cool weather. 

Mandy Monroe, facility/activity supervisor for Carrboro Recreation & Parks, said she is pleased with how the event turned out, and that she loves how it brings the community together.

“I was just daydreaming about how great it would be if this street were actually its own park and open everyday for families to come out in this way,” she said. 

@Maringwolf

city@dailytarheel.com

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