Leveraging Celebrate Trails Day Advocacy in Cuyahoga County
In recent years, communities in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, have been leveraging Celebrate Trails Day in creative and unique ways—launching a successful series of advocacy and relationship-building opportunities to connect with local legislators and elevate support for their growing trail infrastructure. The City of Cleveland, along with Shaker Heights, Bay Village and other municipalities, have been collaborating on large-scale events to showcase newly constructed and planned segments of their trail network and increase engagement with local-, regional- and state-elected officials. This convergence of elected officials from across the county is a testament to the broad recognition of the need for regional connectivity and county-wide collaboration on active transportation infrastructure.
Uplifting Key Pieces of Infrastructure Through Collaboration
In Cuyahoga County, a variety of partners have come together to plan and implement Celebrate Trails Day events, including the City of Cleveland, Cleveland Metroparks, Cuyahoga County, the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission and Bike Cleveland. The events take place on trails and bikeways and along on-street bike facilities that are strategically selected to showcase an impressive piece of new construction, demonstrate the need for funding to complete a new segment of trail, or uplift safety components.
“Not only do the trails connect us to our local communities, they also connect us with nature and each other.”
— Ohio State Minority Leader Nickie Antonio
Founded in 2013 by Rails to Trails Conservancy, Celebrate Trails Day is the annual spring celebration of America’s exceptional trails and trail networks. Held on the fourth Saturday of April, the day is intended to encourage everyone to get outside and enjoy trails while demonstrating their impact on people, places and the planet.
Over the past 12 years, tens of thousands of people have been inspired to get out on Celebrate Trails Day, with RTC teaming up with hundreds of partners to plan 750+ events nationwide.
By integrating advocacy into their events, partners in the county have established a model for using Celebrate Trails Day as an opportunity to engage influential decision-makers and demonstrate the importance of funding and policies in support of trails.
Events like Celebrate Trails Day “not only showcase the existing infrastructure but also provide firsthand experiences to our decision-makers—demonstrating the real impact and necessity of these investments for safety, connectivity and community well-being,” said Jacon VanSickle, executive director of Bike Cleveland. “By engaging directly with local leaders on the trails, we can build stronger relationships and advocate more effectively.”
“Not only do the trails connect us to our local communities, they also connect us with nature and each other,” said Ohio State Minority Leader Nickie Antonio, reflecting on Celebrate Trails Day 2024. “During this year’s Celebrate Trails Day event, those in Cuyahoga County were able to take a moment to admire our scenic trail ways, exercise and enjoy the company of outdoor enthusiasts and community leaders.”
Ohio trail advocates have been successful in engaging dozens of state and local leaders in Celebrate Trails day, including state representatives and senators, mayors, county executives and city officials.
Acknowledgement goes out to:
- State Representative Phillip M. Robinson Jr.
- State Sen. Nickie Antonio
- State Sen. Matt Dolan
- County Executive Chris Ronayne
- City Council Member Kevin Bishop
- Public Health Director Dr. David Margolius
- Mayor Paul Koomar – Bay Village
- Mayor Kirsten Holzheimer Gail – Euclid
- Mayor Matt Burke – Garfield Heights
- Mayor David Weiss – Shaker Heights
- Mayor Ed Kraus – Solon
- Mayor Michael Dylan Brennan – University Heights
- Mayor Bill Tomko – Chagrin Falls
- Mayor Benjamin Holbert – Woodmere
- Mayor Justin Bibb – Cleveland
Bringing local-, regional- and state-elected officials to Celebrate Trails Day gives them an important perspective on how trails impact people and communities, and provides a way in which they can express and further generate support publicly. For example, on April 27, 2024, people converged at Garfield Park Reservation in Garfield Park to ride the local trail system. During the event, State Rep. Phillip M. Robinson Jr. presented an honorary state resolution to Cuyahoga County Planning Commission’s Elaine Price, recognizing the impact of Cuyahoga County’s Celebrate Trails Day.
A Kickoff for Continued Engagement
Notably, for the past two years, Celebrate Trails Day has served as the kickoff point for Cuyahoga County’s Bike-with-a-Mayor series (BWAM), which was launched in 2023 and is led by the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission alongside Cuyahoga Greenways Partners, Bike Cleveland and Slow Roll Cleveland.
“For a small community, providing options for connectivity is key to fueling the cycle of opportunity and success.”
—Mayor Koomar of the City of Bay Village
In 2023, there were 12 events across the county. In 2024, all mayors from the previous year continued their participation, as well as a few new participants! The successful launch, continuation and growth of these events demonstrates the demand for connected trails as well as the energy and support growing around the countywide greenway plan.
“For a small community, providing options for connectivity is key to fueling the cycle of opportunity and success,” said Mayor Koomar of the City of Bay Village, who has participated in the ride series. “With thoughtful planning, a network of roads, sidewalks and trails can be developed to diversely and safely unite people with homes, schools, parks and businesses—creating an overall greater sense of physical and mental well-being, and a vibrancy that visitors can enjoy, and residents can be proud of.”
Training for Larger Impact
To help more communities create their own events, the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission and Bike Cleveland have put together a training program for how to put together a Bike-with-the-Mayor ride, which provides a guide for creating a successful event.
Importantly, the rides are designed so that each mayor can highlight their infrastructure of choice; some mayors have chosen to highlight solar panels near trails and emphasize sustainability, while others wanted to showcase important new connections to retail and residential areas. Cuyahoga County also recognizes Bike-with-a-Mayor events as part of their county wellness incentives.
Bike-with-a-Mayor events are impactful for communities in many ways:
- Residents visually see their leaders biking and using trails.
- Mayors get the real-world experience of using their local active transportation system—and are able to see safety and accessibility issues firsthand, as well as gaps in connectivity.
- The events give advocates and community leaders the opportunity to build better relationships with elected officials, while educating them on the importance of investing in the development of safe and connected trail networks.
The work that the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission, Bike Cleveland and many others across their region have done to make Celebrate Trails Day and their Bike-with-a-Major events successful is incredible—and it can be replicated in your community.
We encourage you to check out the extensive collection of Bike-with-a-Mayor resources available, well as the training, posted above.
Celebrate Trails Day is on April 26, 2025!
If you haven’t considered holding a Celebrate Trails Day event or are interested in incorporating advocacy into your event this year, check out RTC’s Celebrate Trails Day page and our new Celebrate Trails Day advocacy guide.
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