COVINGTON, Ga. - With spring just around the corner, there's no better time to set a goal of getting active and walking in the beautiful Newton community, and the second annual Everybody Walk Newton event gives you the opportunity to do just that.

Newton Trails in conjunction with this year’s platinum sponsor, Piedmont Healthcare, will host the second annual Everybody Walk Newton Campaign, which begins the first Wednesday in April (April 5) and will continue every Wednesday throughout the month. The weekly scheduled community walks are a way to strengthen the community, promote health and fitness, and educate attendees about the economic benefits of trails.

During last year’s event, the Everybody Walk Newton Campaign brought together as many as 100 citizens per walk on the community’s local trail system. "Friendships were formed last year, as many groups continued to walk together even after the Everybody Walk Newton Campaign was complete," said Sara Vinson, a chairperson of the Newton Trails Board. "We hope to see the same camaraderie this year, leading to lasting friendships and better health."

The first walk will begin at the new trailhead on Elm Street (in downtown Covington, Ga.). During this time, there will be a special ribbon cutting event and walk attendees will participate in a naming ceremony for the new rail trail. The new trail’s paving was made possible through a number of community donations, and those who donated will be recognized during the ribbon cutting event.

Following the ribbon cutting and celebration, Piedmont Newton Hospital’s orthopedic surgeons, Justin Kunes, MD, and Renee Riley, MD, will kick off the walk with a quick presentation on the benefits of walking. Dr. Kunes and Riley will then lead attendees on the one-mile rail trail walk and will be available for any health-related questions throughout the event.

"Piedmont Newton encourages better health of all citizens in the communities that the hospital serves, said Becky Needham, a marketing coordinator for Piedmont Healthcare, who has been working on behalf of the organization to help organize the Everybody Walk Newton Campaign. "Taking time to walk on a regular basis has been proven to promote good health. Piedmont Healthcare is pleased to be the primary sponsor of the Everybody Walk Newton Campaign and to help build walking opportunities in Newton County."

Everybody Walk Newton will begin at 6:00 p.m. every Wednesday in April, with the exception of the first walk on April 5, which will begin at 5:45 p.m. at the new trailhead. During the first walk, attendees are encouraged to park in the Newton County parking deck at Elm Street. Participants who attend three out of four walks will receive a Newton Trails T-shirt.

For more information, visit newtontrails.org and follow Newton Trails on Facebook.

Subsequent walks include the following:

• · The Wednesday, April 12 walk will take place at the Yellow River Park and trails beginning at the Porterdale Depot. Mayor Arline Chapman and Chamber President Ralph Staffins will be present to dsicuss the economic benefits of trails and recreation.
• · The Wednesday, April 19 walk will take place on the Eastside Trail, with incoming East Metro Board of Realtors President Kristy Stubbs Henderson, who will be addressing the increase in property values in communities with trails.
• · The Wednesday, April 26 walk will start at Turner Lake Complex and continue to the rail trail on Clark Street, and County Commission Chair Marcello Banes will share how trails can build communities and strengthen relationships. Attendees can meet at the parking lot in front of the Recreation Center.