DominGO! returns to the streets of Hartford. Here’s what to expect and how to take part.
The DominGO! open streets event in Hartford is back.
The event — which will shut down two miles of Park Street from Prospect Avenue to Main Street to make way for people to walk, bike, run, use their wheelchairs unencumbered by motorized traffic — will take place Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. after being a “no go” due to the oppressively hot weather in July.
The first DominGO! on June 26 was highly successful, with about 5,000 people taking part in the open streets event that for six hours shut down Farmington Avenue from South Whitney to Bushnell Park to motor-vehicle traffic.
Over the summer, Rory Gale, a Hartford business owner on the DominGO! organizing committee, said DominGO! is modeled after similar open street programs that take place in cities such as Boston, New York and Washington, D.C.
Three activity hubs will feature games including jump rope, basketball, soccer, dance classes and fitness challenges provided by Hartford HealthCare.
The hubs — which will have first aid, water and restrooms — will also feature live musical acts, including Felix Manuel y Su Grupo, Ray Gonzalez, DJ Peter Cee, and Joe Linhart and Friends.
“DominGO! Hartford aligns perfectly with our mission to improve the health of the communities we serve,” Bimal Patel, president of Hartford Hospital, said in a press release. “We are proud to partner with the city for this great event that will help revitalize our neighborhoods, support locally owned businesses, and make critical health screenings and testing available to all.”
The event also gives businesses, local artists and nonprofits an opportunity to highlight what they have to offer.
Participating nonprofit organizations include BiCi Co., Our Piece of the Pie, the Institute for the Hispanic Family, the Big Red Book Truck, Active City, SINA, Frog Hollow NRZ, Parkville NRZ, BikeWalk CT, and the Women’s League of Voters.
“We’re so excited to have DominGO! finally happening in September after having to postpone it from July,” Kelsey Renfro, director of event design and special projects for the Lumi Agency, said. “We’re so excited to have our three activity hubs up and running to work with all of our local nonprofits, our sponsors and then all of the businesses along Park Street. … It’s going to be one of those events where there’s plenty of good food to eat so we’re excited to see people stopping in and out of businesses and supporting them.”
The DominGO! initiative has been enthusiastically endorsed by city officials.
“The DominGO! open streets initiative is an experiment in reclaiming public space for a different use, bringing the community together to experience their city and our major avenues in a new way,” Hartfird Mayor Luke Bronin said. “[On Sunday], we’ll move to Park Street, letting folks enjoy two miles of streets closed to cars but open for walking and biking, music and arts, and great shops and restaurants. I want to thank Hartford HealthCare and all our local partners for their invaluable support in organizing DominGO!, and we’re looking forward to this second DominGO! event.”
A third DominGO! — this one on Main Street — is planned for Oct. 23 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For more information, visit the DominGO! website at https://www.domingohartford.com/.
