Introducing Feet to Fishawack-Walk, rather than drive, to the Fishawack Festival!
Reduce Stress, Help the Environment and Get Some Exercise, too!
This year the Borough of Chatham is introducing “Feet to Fishawack” encouraging residents, family, friends and neighbors to walk rather than drive, to our annual historic community festival. Walking is a free and friendly transit option that reduces stress and is kind to the environment while providing some feel-good exercise.
“Feet to Fishawack” is supported by the Borough of Chatham, The Mayor’s Wellness Committee of the Chathams and TransOptions, a local non-profit that encourages sustainable transportation and safe walking and driving.
By walking to the Fishawack Festival along Main Street in Chatham, you’ll be tracing the footsteps of Chatham Borough’s history. Over 6,000 years ago, the Lenni Lenape Native Americans walked to our area from Canada during the summer in search of a warmer climate and fresh fish.
They followed the Minisink Trail, that is now our Main Street, and headed east to the Passaic River to cross at a shallow point. Their walking tradition called “The Crossing of the Fishwack” is commemorated annually to this day.
Feet to Fishawack continues our community’s walking heritage and supports healthy, environmentally-friendly behaviors. In 2018, Chatham earned the Healthy Town designation for being a pedestrian friendly community, creating the Urban Track and supporting walking.
As a thank you for choosing to walk, please stop by the Feet to Fishawack Information Booth at the entrance to Railroad Plaza South to register as a walking participant and pick up a free reflective slap band provided by TransOptions while supplies last. Place the neon yellow band on your wrist, ankle, backpack, purse, stroller or walker to help you be seen and stay safe while walking.
You can qualify to win prizes, too. Use your personal mobile device or pedometer to track your steps to, from and at Feet to Fishawack. Snap a picture of your Fishawack day step total and send it to communityservices@chathamborough.org by 11 p.m. on Fishawack day. The top three entries with the greatest number of individual steps will be notified via email of awarded prizes.
