Promoting health and building community are the dual themes of a potential 2027 event suggested by the county’s Sports Commission.
Commission members reacted favorably at their most recent meeting to a local version of an “Avondvierdaagse.” It’s the Dutch word for a community walk spread over four evenings aimed at bringing together multiple generations of local residents in a fun and often raucous environment.
“The idea is to try to get people used to walking around their neighborhood,” said Hamilton Humes, vice chair of the Sports Commission. He brought the idea to the advisory body’s June 25 meeting.
A four-day event would require “massive logistical planning,” so Humes has suggested starting out with just one day. A local festival could wrap up the day’s events, he said.
Commission members reacted favorably to the idea. After several false starts in discussing the timing, the group seemed to settle on doing it in mid-June to coincide with the end of school and start of summer. The discussion focused on using existing trails to serve as the route.
Commission members will reach out to the Department of Parks and Recreation and Arlington County Civic Federation to further gauge interest.
Organized walking marches for youth (known as “vierdaagse“) were sponsored by the Dutch Association for Physical Education beginning in the early days of the 20th century.
They were banned by German occupying forces during World War II, but evolved into Avondvierdaagsen after the war. The initiative is coordinated by the Royal Dutch Walking Association.
Most cities in the Netherlands, and some in its one-time colony of Suriname, hold the walking events, with a focus on connecting youth and seniors to their broader communities.
