Thank you for a great year...and here it is for your viewing pleasure.

This year 85,480 people made their way around the four Sunday Parkways routes - 12,200 in East; 21,830 in Northeast; 29,200 in North; and 22,250 in Southeast.  And if you think that is impressive, check out our volunteer numbers -  858 volunteers covered 1,321 volunteer shifts during the four events - 4,589 hours!  Whoo-hoo volunteers!

Unexpected rains (who attended the Southeast event?  Crazy weather, right?) affected the numbers of attendees, but we still saw lots of smiles.  Of course our hearts broke when we had to call off the Southwest event because of the severe rain and winds.  But we think it is safe to say the right decision was made.

We kicked off the season in East Portland on Mother’s Day with a celebration of women in cycling. Women on Wheels, a local women’s cycling organization, hosted Portland’s International CycloFemme event at Sunday Parkways. CycloFemme founder, Sarai Snyder, chose Portland as the city to visit for this year’s event. In addition, the Bureau of Environmental Services got a chance to show off the now completed 63-acre Foster Floodplain Natural Area right on the route at Foster and Springwater Corridor. 

In June, Safe Routes to School led a ride with families (20 people) from Hacienda CDC at the Northeast Sunday Parkways event. AARP of Oregon held their first group walk from Woodlawn to Alberta Parks while crossing paths along the route with Kaiser Permanente’s Walk with a Doc walk heading in the opposite direction. 

In July, Sunday Parkways headed to North Portland.  Friends of Peninsula Park Rose Garden held guided tours of the beautiful rose garden. This year marked the 100^th anniversary of this unique North Portland landmark.  Several new groups participated in North Portland’s event including the Urban League of Portland and Cascade Festival of African Films. Doernbecher Tom Sargent Safety provided low-cost bicycle helmets and helmet fittings.

At the Southeast Sunday Parkways in August, Central City Concern organized a bike ride for their clients.  Their goal for participation at Sunday Parkways was to provide some “good therapy” through healthy activity, show them a different part of the city and allow them to have fun with little or no cost. 

In spite of the unexpected August rains, several places of worship participated in the Southeast event. St. Stephens Catholic Church in their bid to connect to the community gave away bottled water. Lincoln Street Methodist Church hired a band to entertain people as they passed by the church.  One of the most successful partnerships in southeast was the Green Spot campaign with the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability. “Green Spot” showcased sustainable community features along the Southeast Portland route. Spots highlighted solar energy, energy conservation and urban farming plus several other programs.

We would like to thank all of our sponsors, donors, vendors, volunteers and entertainers for making this another great year.  We are already planning the 2014 Sunday Parkways season.  To stay up to date you can like us on Facebook and/or follow us on Twitter. 

If you would like to share any stories please do so – we’d love to hear them.