Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc. (KIB) is collaborating with numerous community organizations, neighborhoods, schools and businesses to transform community greenspaces along Indianapolis bike ways into an interactive, outdoor library on Aug. 15. This one of a kind event will inspire creativity, strengthen our connection to nature and highlighting our amazing city.
“Access to greenspace has been proven to restore the mind and renew the imagination, much in the same way as access to arts, literature and culture,” said David Forsell, president of Keep Indianapolis Beautiful. “We anticipate this event will build community through shared literary experiences in an active and engaging outdoor setting; sparking conversation, encouraging imagination and strengthening our connection to the natural environment.”
The self-guided bike tour will begin at KIB’s Fountain Square Headquarters (1029 Fletcher Ave.) where participants will receive their ‘library card’—a detailed map of local community greenspaces and pocket parks, organized into different reading genres, and all accessible by bike. Each stop will feature a unique literary activity that highlights the outdoor location and the distinctive neighborhoods that make up Indianapolis. Participants are encouraged to plan their route according to their interests with topics ranging from: Science & Nature, Current Events, Children’s Literature, Music, and many more.
Each topic has its own greenspace stop throughout the city, in neighborhoods such as: Windsor Park, Fletcher Place, Bates-Hendricks, Cottage Home, Lockerbie, and other downtown locations. Activities at these locations range from hands-on learning from the Indianapolis Public Library, listening to orators—such as Indiana Poet Laureate Karen Kovacik, to becoming a musician with the help of graduates of the Butler University Music School, and garnering cooking tips from famed, local chef Becky Hostetter of Duos Indy. Participants will have the opportunity to interact with neighborhood historians, local authors and artists, and everything in between, as they pedal from genre to genre–getting their KIB library card stamped along the way.
A special thank you to Indiana Humanities for partnering on this event that highlights community greenspace projects in downtown Indy neighborhoods along bike lanes and greenways, infuses learning and literacy, and supports the work of Keep Indianapolis Beautiful. Additional support provided by Harding Poorman Group.
The event will be Aug. 15 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the KIB headquarters, 1029 Fletcher Ave. the cost is $20 and you will receive a free T-shirt when you pre-register.
Door prizes will be awarded for readers who dress as their favorite literary character. And those who stamp their library card at all 12 locations will be entered into a drawing for a grand prize.
To RSVP, visit kibi.org/pp&p.
