A walk about Creston

Dozens of people from across the state descended upon Creston Saturday morning to take in the mild 60-degree weather, views of the town’s historical village and adjacent McKinley Lake, and to learn about the community effort and artists behind more than 20 public murals with Creston Community High School art teacher Bailey Fry-Schnormeier and her husband Blake of Create Creston.

The group of walkers seen about Creston Saturday are from Iowa’s Walking Club, which is comprised of nearly 150 members and is a subset of America’s Walking Club. Former Creston resident Jan Knock, who is the club’s president, said the club hosts two group walks monthly, year round.

“In the winter we have a (group) walk in the skywalks, we have a walk in the malls ... ,” she said. “We have walks in state parks and state forests. We have several in Des Moines and several counties throughout the state.”

Knock said the clubs’ mission is, “Have fun, get fit, make friends” and each walk hosted by the club is non-competitive.

Creston Walk

For those unable to attend the clubs’ bi-monthly group walks, self-guided walks are also available for individuals who prefer walking solo or within small groups. While the Iowa’s Walking Club’s group walk in Creston has passed, information is available on iowaswalkingclub.com to complete Creston’s walk before Oct. 31. Other walks are also listed on the club’s website.

Knock said each location has information online and a designated “walk box” at the physical location, which provides additional information such as mileage, directions and points of interest along the route. Creston’s walk box is attached to the shelter near the bear statue next to McKinley St., which is where the Park to Park trail head starts.

“Typically our walks are either in scenic locations or locations of historical interest,” said Knock. “Or maybe they focus on public art or maybe they focus on memorials, but they will have points of interest that will be explained in these step-by-step directions.”

Iowa’s Walking Club

Knock said Iowa’s Walking Club sponsors walks and bike rides based on the the concept of “volkssporting,” which started in Germany. According to the club’s website, volkssporting is defined as a personal fitness sport and recreation program offering noncompetitive walks, hikes, bike rides, swims, and in some regions cross-country skiing.

Walking, also referred to “volksmarching,” is the most popular of the volksporting activities. In the volkssporting tradition, it is also typical for volkssporters to gather at the finish where they take time to enjoy friends, entertainment or refreshments.

Membership to the club is $10 per individual, $12 per family, or $3 for nonmembers to join members on a group walk. The fees help cover the cost of support. Members and nonmembers are also asked to sign a waiver for insurance purposes. Members receive a book of the walks for that calendar year, which can also be used to document each event completed.

“A lot of people like to keep track of the events they do and how far they walk,” said Knock. “So each walk comes with a little stamp and you literally rubber stamp your book and keep track of those things.”

Since joining, Knock has camaraderie and exploring what different communities have to offer.

“Some people like it because it’s motivating and just kind of fun,” she said.

For more information about Iowa’s Walking Club, visit iowaswalkingclub.com.