By LEE WARD
CATLETTSBURG — Kentucky residents may be tired of hearing they are among the unhealthiest in the country, but it is a serious concern.
The poor health habits of the commonwealth’s residents inspired a new program by the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture’s Cooperative Extension Service.
The program is called Second Sunday and it calls for a one-mile stretch of road in each community to be closed to traffic on the second Sunday of the month so residents can use the road for walking, biking, skateboarding, rollerblading, running, horseback riding — any kind of exercise they want.
In Boyd County, Addington Country Crossroads will be closed — it is off U.S. 60 near the Boyd County Fairgrounds, Suellen Zornes, family and consumer sciences agent for the Boyd County Cooperative Extension Service, said.
“It’s a pretty road and relatively flat,” she said, adding October is a good time to close a road for walkers, who will be able to enjoy the scenery of the leaves changing color better on foot than by vehicle.
The road will be closed from 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday.
Greenup County will participate in Second Sunday, too.
No roads will be closed; activities will be at Russell Primary School, where the focus will be on family activities, said Rita Spence, Greenup County Extension agent for family and consumer sciences.
Spence said the track at Russell High School will be open for walking and there will be other spots around the schools for walking. Families are invited to bring lawn games to play and playground equipment will be available for use by children. Spence said Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital will offer free health screenings during the event, which also will be Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m.
In addition to OLBH and the extension service, the event is sponsored by Greenup County Community Extensions and Russell Family Resource and Youth services.
Zornes said a committee is being formed to plan a Second Sunday event for October of next year. Some communities will participate by closing a road or more than one road twice a year or more, but for now, Boyd County will have Second Sunday just once a year, unless there is enough interest among residents to do it more frequently.
Boyd County might not have as much of a need to close a road as some other areas.
“Ashland is lucky,” Zornes said. “It has the park to walk in that’s beautiful. We have facilities, but some (of the areas) don’t.”
For more information or to give input about future Second Sundays, call Zornes at (606) 739-5184.
LEE WARD can be reached at lward@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2661.
