I am so pleased to announce that Stroller Strides is officially back in action at Balboa Park, Mission Bay and La Jolla Shores! Hooray! After months and months of hard work and dedication, Founder Lisa Druxman along with members of the San Diego City Council were able to devise and put into action a reasonable permit system for outdoor exercise classes.

On Monday, August 9, 2010 we held our first class at our “home” locations – and it was so GREAT to be back! We, of course, are so thankful to our temporary locations (Coronado Island Marriott Resort, Kate Sessions Park and others) for allowing us to hold class there while all of the bureaucratic business was sorted out.

Our class sizes had dwindled as many found it too cumbersome to go the extra distance to attend class at our temporary locations, but already class sizes are back up. We are all so excited to be back! In addition, I have also seen many new faces that were just waiting for us to return to Balboa Park.

The Parks and Recreation Department has determined our new start location in Balboa Park – it is at Building # 52 (Address: 2145 Park Blvd., San Diego, CA 92101). We meet on the lawn behind the Veterans Museum and Memorial Centre (right at the bottom of the stairs that lead to the Balboa Park Recreation Centre). There is a large parking lot that we can use on the east side of Park Blvd across from President’s Way.

This Wednesday, August 18, 2010, Stroller Strides will be holding a special 9th Year Anniversary class at Balboa Park. Anne Schreiber, previous Monday/ Wednesday/ Friday instructor at the Balboa Park location (she actually instructed our final class at Balboa Park before we got kicked out) and who was an instrumental part in getting us back there, will also be attending class. It will surely be an amazing workout and a fun celebration! Also, in celebration of the 9th year, Stroller Strides initiation dues are only $9 for the month of August – so now is the best time to join!

As we did in the past, we will strive to always be respectful of the beautiful park we are exercising in. As we travel through the park we will be mindful of the other people who are enjoying the park as well including; walking single file through corridors, leaving space on paths for others to pass by, and we will continue our monthly trash collection day to help beautify the park. We will also support the businesses within the park by purchasing food, beverages, items, and admission tickets from park vendors, restaurants and museums.

This has been a rocky road, which I have chronicled in 6 previous blogs (see our archives), and I am so pleased that it has a happy ending! I am truly appreciative of all of the people in the Stroller Strides organization and the San Diego City Council who worked so diligently to create a solution. Balboa Park is one of San Diego’s most beautiful parks and I am so thankful to be able to use it again on a near-daily basis!