The City of Danville on Friday will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Main Street trailhead located below the JTI Fountain and Main Street Plaza. Also at the ceremony, Get Fit Dan River Region will launch a 50,000-pound weight loss challenge for the region.
The ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m.
The trailhead was part of the streetscape project that led to the design and construction of the fountain and plaza. A celebration was held on Wednesday to reveal the fountain and give the community its first opportunity to enjoy the plaza.
In Friday’s ceremony, the focus shifts to the trailhead. This new trailhead provides Riverwalk Trail users with another access point to the trail on the south bank of the Dan River. The trailhead begins at the intersection of Patton and Bridge streets.
Later this month, the city expects to solicit bids for continued expansion of the Riverwalk Trail. This expansion involves construction of a pedestrian lane on the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Bridge to connect the walking trail on the north side of the Dan River to the Main Street Plaza and the walking trail on the south side of the river. Construction could begin as early as July.
The 8.5-mile Riverwalk Trail has longed served as a popular fitness venue for residents and visitors who walk, jog and ride bicycles along the trail on both banks of the river and through parks, historic sites and businesses.
Given the use of the trail for fitness activity, Get Fit Dan River Region sees the ceremony for the new trailhead as an opportunity to launch a new fitness challenge. Anyone who lives, learns, works or worships in Danville, Pittsylvania County and Caswell County, N.C., can participate.
As part of the challenge, the organization will provide workout videos featuring celebrities in the community. These celebrities, along with local fitness trainers, will demonstrate step by step how to practice basic exercises that can be done anywhere anytime. No equipment is required.
Nutrition tips also will be provided.
More details on the challenge will be announced at the ceremony.