Crowd-Pleasing Events
- Livable El Cerrito
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Big crowds turned out Saturday for the Go Green Mobility Fair and 24 Hour Fitness reopening.
Bike safety classes and swag, neighborhood electric vehicles, and a freshly remodeled gym drew people to the Go Green Mobility Fair held in the BART parking lot at 515 Richmond St. and the grand reopening of 24 Hour Fitness at 10636 San Pablo Ave.
Around the Cones on Bikes
At the Mobility Fair, several parents with children who attend Harding or Madera elementary schools said they came to the Go Green event because a bike safety class was offered by Bike East Bay. They heard about the event at school.
Craig Godfrey and his son, Hendrix, plan to start riding bikes to school together.
Said Hendrix: “I loved it! I literally got to do a ramp when I was doing a class about what to do when you’re in an intersection.”
Craig Godfrey agreed the 90-minute free class was excellent.
Hendrix also got swag, including a rear bike reflector and light.
Chad Magiera said he liked the way teachers taught the young bicyclists how to use hand signals when turning, which requires riding e one-handed. And they explained that right of way means the person on the right goes first.
Two students from Madera Elementary said their second-grade teacher included the Go Green event in their homework. They also enjoyed the class.
“I biked here with my dad,” said Laura.
Street-Legal Electric Vehicles
El Cerrito resident Kathryn Maack was curious about street-legal, four-wheel neighborhood electric vehicles that were on display. The low-speed vehicles are manufactured by GEM and distributed by Total Industries, according to sales rep Steve Burnett.
Burnett said the vehicles are legal on any street posted at 35 mph or less. The standard range on a charge is 35 to 40 miles and they charge when plugged into any 110 volt outlet.
“Will it go up the hills?” Maack asked.
“It will go up at probably close to the top speed (25 mph), Burnett said. “It’s got an anti-rollback safety feature.”
The model on display was priced at around $30,000, Burnett said. The base model starts at $18,000, he said.
The event also featured live music, a food truck, and several information booths. Sponsors included the cities of El Cerrito and Berkeley along with El Cerrito/Richmond Annex Walk and Roll.
Steve Price, an organizer of the event, said he was happy that so many people turned out.
24 Hour Fitness Reopening
About 150 people filled the newly remodeled El Cerrito gym on San Pablo Avenue late Saturday morning.
There were balloons and a DJ blasting music. Some people were working out while others took up challenges like earning a free T-shirt for doing as many push-ups as they could.
Derik Hilliard of Albany was exhilarated that he managed to crank out 40 while watchers encouraged him.
“I did not know how many I could do,” he said. “I never do push-ups,” he said.
General Manager Omaun Cross said the gym closed down for about three weeks for the remodel and reopened April 12. The gym got a new floor and fresh paint along with a lot of new equipment. Although the square footage is the same, Cross said the gym feels bigger and there is seldom any wait to use equipment.
Long-time member Andrew said, “I realize in retrospect the old gym didn’t make much sense. It was more scattered. Now they have brought in more of the machines that are used more. It’s more organized. It feels great.”
Non-members were welcome to try out the gym, which does accept members through Medicare's Silver Sneakers program.
Still to come is a recovery room with Normatec 3 compression equipment, Cross said.
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