Wednesday Walkers

SCAL partners with the City of Sumter, Sumter County Recreation and Parks Department, Tuomey Healthcare System, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control- Sumter County Health Department, Clemson Cooperative Extension, South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon-Sumter County Office, and The Item newspaper to sponsor Wednesday Walkers, a worksite-based community walking program. The purpose of Wednesday Walkers is to promote physical activity among organizations and businesses, increase awareness of places to walk in Sumter County, and foster positive work relationships.

Wednesday Walkers continues to be a popular, successful, and expanding program since it began in 2006. The third-annual program ran March 12 - May 7, 2008. An average of 157 Sumterites from 19 different worksites and organizations walked on Wednesdays in parks, gymnasiums, and along downtown sidewalks. They walked for fitness, camaraderie, and enjoyment. (The snacks and door prizes were probably good reasons to walk, too!)

Well over 100 walkers have participated in this popular community walking program each year. For many individuals, Wednesday Walkers was the impetus they needed to get started on a healthier lifestyle by being more physically active.

If your worksite has not yet participated in Wednesday Walkers and has its own suitable place for employees to walk or access to a nearby sidewalk, walking track, or trail, then consider having your worksite form a Wednesday Walkers team to participate in the 2009 program. Contact Linda Pekuri at 803-774-3861 or lpekuri@sumtercountysc.org for more information.

If you are looking for ways to contribute to your community, then consider "adopting" a city park. SCAL and the City of Sumter Parks & Gardens Department sponsor an Adopt a Park Program for selected parks within the city as a way to get community members involved in providing attractive places people can go to for recreation, leisure exercise, and physical activity. Businesses, school groups, civic clubs, churches and faith groups, and other organizations are invited to join Adopt A Park to assist with basic maintenance and beautification of local parks and green spaces. Adoptive groups are required to conduct clean-ups at least four times a year and are encouraged to recruit neighborhood participation from residents near their particular park. SCAL will provide a small amount of money for clean-up supplies, and the Parks Department will place a sign in the park to acknowledge the adoptive group.

If you would like to adopt a city park, contact Sumter County Active Lifestyles at (803) 774-3860 or cblumberg@sumtercountysc.org.

Heart and Soles

One of Sumter's popular places to walk has its own walking program. The Sumter Mall sponsors Heart and Soles in partnership with SCAL. This mall-walking program boasts over 100 members, most of them senior citizens.

Before they begin walking, members enter their walker identification number into an automated time clock. At the end of their walk, they simply log out. The system tracks how long and how often members walk on a weekly basis. The information is submitted to and processed by the Prevention Research Center at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. The data sent to the Center are anonymous and submitted with the written consent of each member.

Walkers can earn incentives based on a point system. They must accumulate at least 30 minutes of walking five days per week at the mall to earn 1 point. Each month, a certain mall merchant donates a prize for a drawing from the names of those walkers who receive four points for that month. At the end of the year, those who have acquired between 48 and 52 points are eligible for a grand prize drawing. All walking program members are acknowledged at an annual awards breakfast sponsored by Chick-Fil-A.

The Sumter Mall opens its doors to walkers at 7 a.m. Monday through Saturday and on Sundays at noon. Two times around the mall's interior equals one mile, and this information is displayed on the Heart and Soles "shoes" placed throughout the mall.

Registration for the program is ongoing. Forms can be obtained from the podium next to the Sumter Police Department substation inside the main mall entrance or the mall office during regular business hours. For more information, please call the Sumter Mall at (803) 775-6387.

Cycling Clubs and Community Bike Rides

Bicycling in Sumter County is on the upswing! New cyclists are joining the cycling clubs' rides on an almost weekly basis! The Sumter Easy Riders and Sumter Chain Gang clubs welcome all who want to cycle. Sumter Easy Riders is for people who want to have fun while getting fit. Their goal is to help people gain or maintain fitness through biking activities and to get comfortable on the roads of Sumter County by riding with more experienced cyclists. The Chain Gang is suitable for riders who are experienced and familiar with the roads. Visit the Sumter Easy Riders website to learn more about the community bike rides.

SCAL is working closely with cyclists, transportation agencies, bicycling advocacy groups, and others to make Sumter County a bicycle-friendly community. If this is your goal also, we'd like to hear from you. Contact Wayne Argabright at (803) 436-2248 or trails@sumtercountysc.org.

Our Bike Sumter County map identifies various bicycle routes of different lengths throughout the county to guide both the novice and more experienced road rider. In addition to identifying routes, the map provides basic bicycle maintenance information, safety tips, and rules of the road for bicyclists and motorists. These maps are free and available to the public at many locations around town or at the SCAL office at the Sumter County Recreation and Parks Department. If you are interested in displaying our maps, please let us know.

Bicycle Map 1 (3.9 MB PDF)
Bicycle Map 2 (13 MB PDF)

National Trails Day

Sumter County Active Lifestyles and the Sumter County Recreation and Parks Department celebrate National Trails Day (NTD), which is a national annual event to promote public awareness of and appreciation for America's trails and encourage cooperative efforts among different trail users.

SCAL has promoted use of Sumter County's Cypress Trail, Poinsett State Park trails, the High Hills of the Santee Passage of the South Carolina Palmetto Trail, and other county parks and recreation areas. Our family-oriented events have included walks, hikes, bicycle rides, and kayaking demonstrations.

You may contact the Sumter County Bicycle & Pedestrian Coordinator for any information about trails in Sumter County:

Wayne Argabright: (803) 436-2248, extension 28 or trails@sumtercountysc.org.

Publicity, Outreach, and Education

SCAL’s publicity and outreach efforts to inform and educate the community about the need for and availability of exercise and recreation opportunities throughout the county include newspaper feature stories, columns, articles, and advertisements; quarterly newsletters; occasional radio spots; and cable television infomercials. To date, our infomercials have highlighted city parks, our Adopt-a-Park Program, our walking and bicycle maps, the Step Up. Step Out! program, cycling/Sumter Easy Riders, crosswalk laws, our Wednesday Walkers program, and the Cypress Trail. The infomercials are professionally produced and aired on Sumter cable channel 7.

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