Hopkins in Motion
BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE HBCA AND THE CITY OF HOPKINS, with support from augustana care corporation, park nicollet, and xcel energy
September 11, 2010
9 am-2 pm, downtown Hopkins
A community-wide event full of ENERGY and ACTIVITIES both fun and invigorating!
NEW THIS YEAR
- The Depot's Bike Commotion In Motion - Win prizes! Support the community! Register by September 6
- Kid's Corner: Kids can decorate their bikes for the Community Parade, take the bike safety challenge, get fitted for a helmet, get their bikes checked out by a bike medic, play hopscotch, jump rope, and more! Plus, bring a completed coloring contest entry for a chance to win a bike!
DETAILED OVERVIEW OF EVENTS (click to view larger)
The second annual Hopkins in Motion is scheduled for Saturday, September 11 in downtown Hopkins, south of the Clock Tower at 9th and Mainstreet. The event focuses on the walkability/ livability of Hopkins and encourages participants to be active while having fun.
Bouja!
Last year Hopkins Farmers Market revived the tradition of Bouja at the first annual Hopkins in Motion. Devotees traveled from throughout the metro area to enjoy the Bouja, devouring the twenty gallons in just over an hour!
According to sources at the Hopkins Historical Society, Bouja was made in Hopkins during the 1940’s by the Czech population at the annual Harvest Festival. The Festival was a revival of the Czechoslovak custom to celebrate the end of the growing season and the work that accompanied the fall harvest. Villagers would don their favorite costumes then form a parade and follow a decorated harvest wagon to a local farm to eat, dance and give thanks for the harvest. Although the Market Vendors and the volunteers will not be donning costumes, they are reviving a true Hopkins tradition!
Vendors from Hopkins Farmers Market will be supplying the produce including cabbage, carrots, potatoes and peppers. One Market Vendor will be supplying a turkey, other meats will be coming from Nelson Meats in Hopkins. Additional needed supplies will come from local grocer Driskill’s Foods, making the Bouja a true community effort.
Volunteers at Hopkins Activity Center will be cutting the vegetables and preparing the meat under the direction of Farmers Market Bouja maker Tom Schoenecker. The cut vegetables will be added to the rich meat base of beef, chicken and turkey, then slow cooked for hours, one batch at the Hopkins Activity Center the other at Hopkins Elks Lodge, resulting in a hearty, rich, soup.
They’ll be serving eighty gallons!
New this year is Kids’ Corner with a variety of activities including a Bike Safety Challenge, a Bike Medic program by Tonka Cycle, and Safe Kids with helmet sales and fittings. Other activities include free face painting and games including Hopscotch and Jump Rope. A coloring contest has been added – with an opportunity to win a bike. Kids can also decorate their bikes in preparation for the Community Parade at 1:00pm.
Hopkins Farmers Market will have extended hours until 2 pm that day – and will feature a bounty of homegrown produce and specialties. At 12 noon they will begin serving Bouja – their hearty, delicious soup! (see sidebar)
Hopkins Historical Society will once again offer guided historical tours beginning at the Clock Tower at 10:00am, 11:00 am and noon. Those who complete the walk will be eligible to win a pair of tennis shoes. Self-guided Passport Walks by the Hopkins Activity Center will highlight the walkability of Hopkins. Participants walk to various locations, record posted information, and return to the event for a prize plus another chance to win a pair of tennis shoes!
Bike riders to the event can safely stow their bikes in the free Bike Corral located at 15 9th Avenue South, and earn a chance to win a bike!
Held in conjunction with the event is the Hopkins Bike Commotion in Motion bike ride sponsored by The Depot Coffee House. Participants will ride to various locations within Hopkins for a chance to win prizes. Register by September 6.
Downtown Park Bandshell will be alive with demonstrations of African Dance, Zumba®, belly dancing, hula-hooping, Latin Dance even the Jazzberries from Hopkins Activity Center! View Bandshell Schedule »
Vendor Booths will line 9th Avenue – offering food, products and services.
Community Parade
The Community Parade will begin at 1:00 pm where everyone is invited to walk, ride, dance, jump or hop down Historic Mainstreet. Captain Billy’s Whiz Bangs, a New Orleans style jazz band, will be leading the parade. Captain Billy has issued an invitation to everyone to participate in the parade – no experience needed. Participants can walk, dance, skip, hop, pull a wagon, push a stroller or ride their bikes down Mainstreet. “Just meet us at the corner of 8th and Mainstreet at 12:45 pm” he said. “It will be a fun, old-fashioned New Orleans-style parade – but we’re going to need everyone’s participation to make it a true success.”
Taking him up on the challenge is Juston Anderson, Captain of the Minnesota Wheelmen, a group of antique bike enthusiasts dedicated to the preservation and enjoyment of our bicycling heritage. Juston will be riding an 1889 Victor, a 54” high wheel bike in the parade.
Also taking up the challenge are members of the high-energy Minnesota Roller Girls! Word has it they will also have temporary tattoos for parade participants and watchers alike.
Other parade participants to date include members of the elite Hopkins Police Bike Patrol, Hopkins Raspberry Royalty, and students of the Hopkins Dance Center.
Photos from last year's event:
