LEXINGTON, KY - On the second Sunday of October in 2008, 12,000 Kentuckians, led by 2,500 in Lexington, took to the streets of 70 counties for a day of organized exercise, bike riding, games or just milling around on streets blocked off from vehicular traffic. With the second annual 2nd Sunday, as it is called, coming next month, organizers have secured all but 21 of the state's 120 counties to participate and encourage their citizens to get off their seats and put their feet on the street.
"The brilliance is in its simplicity. It is a very simple concept of getting the community together to go out and exercise and be together," said UK HealthCare's vice president for healthcare operations and chief clinical officer, Dr. Richard Lofgren.
For the 2009 2nd Sunday, taking place in Lexington October 11 on Main and Short Streets between Mill and DeWeese, UK HealthCare has teamed up with UK's College of Agriculture to sponsor and facilitate the growth of the event, which was started by LFUCG Councilman Jay McChord.
McChord, a long-time advocate of biking and walking trials in the city, liked the thought of bringing people together in the center of towns after hearing a Colombian speaker talk about what is done in the South American country's capital city.
"In Bogot·, they started closing roads and inviting everyone to come out, and what they found was 400,000-plus people took to the roads and exercised simultaneously," McChord said at an August 28 press conference for the 2009 2nd Sunday. "It occurred to me that every community in Kentucky closes a road at some time for something, why couldn't we do that as a state - do something with purpose and really make a statement?"
That's where the UK College of Agriculture comes in. UK President Lee Todd, Jr. likens the Cooperative Extension offices in each county to a sales office for ideas and plans to help the state, whether it is dealing with agricultural issues or the scourges of the state Todd has termed "The Kentucky Uglies."
"I refer to those folks as our entrusted ambassadors; they've been out there reaching out in this state in every county for so many years," he said at the press conference. "If we look at what poor health costs this state in self-esteem and dollars, it's a huge amount, and it is money that is coming out of education in many cases, and we need to turn that around."
The 2nd Sunday event is one way to do just that, according to Lofgren. "As a physician, I am often asked by my patients what exercises or activity I would recommend, and the answer is really simple: whatever you'll do. Whatever sticks is what's necessary."
McChord is hoping 2nd Sunday sticks as he would like to see what is now an annual event become monthly.
"That's my goal, that in Lexington, Kentucky, that every second Sunday all throughout the year that we will close (certain) streetsÖ but it would take about $10,000 a weekend, so if someone stepped up and said 'I've got $50,000, I want to sponsor this,' we could do five second Sundays," he said. As an interim jump, McChord said he would like to see the months of April through October host 2nd Sundays.
Mayor Jim Newberry said he too would like to see 2nd Sunday expand into more months, but hasn't found any federal funding like Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality grants that would apply to paying for the police services necessary to block off a mile of downtown roads.
McChord and Lofgren will join UK's College of Agriculture Dean Scott Smith along with Steve Austin of the Legacy Center, to discuss 2nd Sunday and the Legacy Trail on Thursday at 7:30 a.m. for the monthly meeting of the Lexington Forum in the former Annette's City CafÈ, 431 Old Vine. The meeting is free for Forum members, and guests are welcome for $15 at the event.