With the 2023 edition of Open Streets Windsor set for this coming weekend, City of Windsor officials say they're still looking for volunteers for the event.
This year the event will be known as "The Big 8" Kilometre Edition, in recognition of the late Rosalie Trombley.
The event will see the city close eight kilometres of city streets to all vehicle traffic from Sandwich Town in the west to Ford City in the east.
Speaking on AM800's The Shift, Michelle Staadegaard, the city's manager of culture and events, says volunteers are vital for Open Streets.
"We need about 300 volunteers just to shut down the road itself along the eight kilometres," she continued. "So we're looking for volunteers to help us set up barricades, welcome people to the open streets, and make sure we have a safe environment for everybody to enjoy."
Staadegaard says they always look to the community to help them out when it comes to Open Streets.
"The 300 volunteers can be split between a shift in the morning and a shift in the afternoon. That's why 300 seems like a lot, but you're about 150 volunteers in the morning and 150 in the afternoon. But it's definitely vital for us to be able to make the event successful."
The City of Windsor has been hosting Open Streets since 2016.
Staadegaard says the event wouldn't be possible without the support of volunteers.
"There's no way we'd be able to shut down a road that big without our volunteers. And then we have a lot of programming activities that we work with our local Business Improvement Associations in hosting as well, but right now we're really looking to secure the final volunteers and get those roads closed," she said.
Staadegaard says there's various roles that volunteers can serve as, including Ambassadors, Bike Rockets, and Happiness Concierges.
Open Streets runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, September 17.
More information can be found on the City of Windsor website.
- with files from AM800's The Shift with Patty Handysides