Medieval sword fighting, tricked-out bikes and banana suits were on display Sunday as tens of thousands of exercise enthusiasts flooded Pittsburgh streets for the year’s second OpenStreetsPGH day.
From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., people biked, jogged, roller-bladed and attended a wide range of fitness classes — from Zumba and yoga to snowboard lessons and aikido — along Penn Avenue and Butler Street between Market Square and Upper Lawrenceville — free of vehicular traffic.
“It’s a way to experience city streets in a brand new way,” said Alex Shewczyk, communications manager of BikePGH, the nonprofit that runs OpenStreets. “By getting more people on bikes we’re trying to make this community safer.”
OpenStreetsPGH began four years ago with the Downtown-to-Lawrenceville route. On Sunday, the route was extended to Upper Lawrenceville, making it the longest in OpenStreets history, at four miles, Ms. Shewczyk said. OpenStreets hosts three events per year — in May, June and July. Each takes place in a different part of the city.
Al Auth, of Penn Hills, said the Lawrenceville route is his favorite, since it is the longest. A member of the Kool Kats bike club, Mr. Auth was out riding Sunday with his biker friends. He said the club always attends OpenStreets.
“I wish they’d do it two more months, in August and September,” he said, sitting on his bright blue chopper-style custom bike on Penn Avenue in the Strip District.
Another biker, Vince Butts, of Homewood, said he was enjoying the day of cycling with his wife, Lisa.
“It’s nice to get all the bikers out,” Mr. Butts said. “How often would people come Downtown otherwise?”
While biking was a major activity Sunday, non-bikers still had plenty to do.
Seven Springs Mountain Resort offered kids snowboarding lessons at Penn Avenue and 30th Street; a “boxing boot camp” was located a few blocks down Penn Avenue in the Strip; and Pittsburgh Sword Fighters, a Creighton-based martial arts school, organized sword-fighting demos at Penn Avenue and 32nd Street.
“It’s an awesome event,” said Justin Clawson, director of marketing at Pittsburgh Sword Fighters. “Where else are you going to be able to sword-fight on the street?”
The YMCA ran yoga, Zumba and other fitness classes at several “hubs” between Market Square and Lawrenceville. And health businesses located along the route, like Lawrenceville-based Pittsburgh Fitness Project, moved their classes outside.
Karen Heuchert of Crafton, who was planning to attend two hours of Zumba at Market Square, said she loves OpenStreets.
“It’s so nice to see so many people attend from all across the city,” she said.
Last year, 90,000 people participated across all three events, up from 60,000 the year before, Ms. Shewczyk said. Sunday’s event was the largest ever, with 36,000 attendees.
The next OpenStreets day — and the last of 2018 — will be held on July 28. It will feature a new route, running through five neighborhoods in the East End, which will be the longest one yet, at 4½ miles.
Correction, posted June 26, 2018: In an earlier version of this story, the location of Pittsburgh Sword Fighters was incorrect.
Max Graham: mgraham@post-gazette.com or @maxmugrah
First Published: June 24, 2018, 10:18 p.m.
