Furry Celebrity Encourages Locals To Step To It

Gabriel and Ben Reade, along with their mom, Heather, were among those who helped Minnetonka kick off the city's Step To It Challenge.

"We're doing it as a family," Heather Reade said. 

Locals and one very furry local celebrity showed up Monday night at  to take a long walk—a fitting way to jump start this county-wide physical fitness challenge. 

After a quick high-five with Minnesota Twins mascot, T.C. Bear, the Reade boys, students at , examined the goodies they scored as challenge participants. Then, outfitted with new water bottles, pedometers and clip-on safety lights, the Reades were ready for a walk. 

The Step To It Challenge is a four-week community initiative aimed at increasing the physical activity of Minnetonka residents. So far, 226 Minnetonka residents have signed up as registered participants—that's more than double the number who signed up last year. The challenge is labeled as “a fun, free, light-hearted way to connect with family, friends and neighbors, and get moving again after a long winter.”

Once everyone who turned up Monday night had signed up for the challenge and geared-up for a walk, local challenge coordinator Julie Moore kicked off the contest with just one sentence. 

"Does anyone want to walk?" she asked. A round of cheers echoed in response. 

Minnetonka is one of 22 Hennepin County communities taking the challenge—each city competing for the title of most active Twin Cities suburb. Step To It participants keep an ongoing total of the steps they take during the challenge. They can also track activities such as biking, skateboarding, tai chi or even mowing the lawn. At the end of the program, all this moving will be added up to determine the most active local city. 

This is the third year Minnetonka has participated in the program. Although the city has yet to win—in 2010 Minnetonka finished 11th out of 18 cities—the local participants who showed up Monday night seemed more than ready to compete for the title. Besides bragging rights, the 2011 winning participants from each city will be recognized during a Twins game this summer.

And if you ask 4-year-old Minnetonka resident Valerie Keeling, who made sure to spend most of the event within mere feet of T.C. Bear, that's a prize worth the walk.