By Jack Chavez, Staff Writer

After a year off, “Spring Just Walk” is back at Stephen Decatur Park on Tripoli Street on Saturday.

Berlin’s Spring Just Walk event returns on Saturday after taking the last year off due to the pandemic. The walk is one of two yearly walks, the other being the Fall Just Walk, which returned last year. The Worcester County Health Department and the Berlin Parks Commission cosponsor the walks. FILE PHOTO

The biannual Just Walk event, facilitated through a partnership between the Worcester County Health Department and the Berlin Parks Commission, has missed two of its last three events, having returned for the fall version last year.

“Ours is a three-mile fun walk, divided into three connecting routes,” said Berlin Deputy Town Administrator Mary Bohlen. “Someone can do one, two, or three miles.”

This year’s walk includes a Berlin history and trivia component with signs along the route with trivia about the town, Bohlen said. When they finish their walk, participants can do a quiz that doubles as a raffle entry for a “Berlin bucket,” which includes a Fitbit wristwatch.

While the event is open to everyone who wants to participate, Bohlen said it is a good fit for anyone who wants to get outdoors and increase their physical activity with a bit of walking.

“We’ve had people out there really of all ages pushing strollers, walking dogs,” she said. “Walking is the easiest, most accessible form of exercise. Anyone can benefit.”

The Worcester County Health Department also adds incentives to increase or add mileage to a person’s walk, such as custom T-shirts.

After the hiatus, Bohlen said last year’s walk got a good response, noting that it’s an event that participants have enjoyed for years.

“The town encourages our citizens and visitors to explore our park a little bit by walking,” Bohlen said. “We have a walking path designed for just this in Stephen Decatur Par

k. The route gets people out into the town a little bit.”

Participants can pre-register online at berlinmd.gov/parks or register on-site starting at 8:30 a.m. at the park. The walk is stroller-friendly and leashed dogs are allowed.

This story appears in the print version of Bayside Gazette on May 5, 2022.