Windsor Open Streets is back Sunday Sept. 22, 2018

By Travis Conant

Thousands of people are expected to make their way downtown on Sunday to take part in this years Open Streets.

Windsor Open Streets has been an annual event for the past three years. Open Streets started as a pilot project in 2016 with two events hosted in July and September. It now only runs in September.

Michelle Staadegaard is the city events initiatives coordinator and open streets project manager this year. Skaadegaard participated as a member of public in 2016 and 2017 before taking on the role of project manager.

“We have over 150 activation points along the 8km route,” said Skaadegaard. “We have many returning vendors hosting new activities. One of our new Community Partners is Sports4All who will be hosting a Sports4All Quad, a travelling basketball hoop to peddle a quadtricycle with a basketball net attached to the back through Open Streets hitting four major hubs and stopping there to play a quick game. ”

Along the route there will be different entertainment in all the hubs, some of which include dancing, zumba, belly dancing and drum circles. There will also be live performances by bands including 519 Band, The Diplomats, Leave Those Kids Alone and The Soulshakers.

Skaadegaard said she encourages everyone to come be part of something amazing and discover the Open Streets.

People take part in Open Streets by walking and biking, running if with their family people push strollers and have crowds of people going and enjoying what Open Streets has to offer.

Tyler Hilman, 17, Massimo Chiodo, 17, Matt Scalzo, 19 and Devin Amyotte, 19 are the members of the band Disaster Strike. one of the bands playing at Open Streets on Sept. 22.

Disaster Strike has been a band since 2014 with Hilman on rhythm guitar and singing, Chiodo plays lead guitar, Scalzo playing base and Amyotte plays drums and sings. They came together and joined forces after performing at Long and McQuades summer program “Rock Skool.” Hilman and Chiodo had already met and wanted Amyotte and Scalzo to join the team.

“We’ve done a total of three shows a year at Open Streets Windsor,” said Scalzo. “We were asked to do the first open streets three years ago and have been involved ever since.”

Amyotte said he is looking forward to meeting new people who enjoy their music and hopefully become more recognized.

“Local events like these are really great for meeting the people of Windsor,” said Amyotte.

Chiodo said the setlist is going to include a very diverse set of songs.

“From the 50s to the late 2010s (our originals),” said Chiodo.

The band said Open Streets has always been a blast and they hope to show up every year, manly because it is fun to walk around after a show and seeing the people of our great city.

Windsor open streets is Sunday Sept 22, 2018 from 10 a.m.- 3 p.m.