Liberty Bell Wanderers

Thank you for your interest in our club and Volkssporting in the United States. I hope that this letter will provide information that will get you interested in this sport that is ideally suited for families, groups and individuals to enjoy walking for Fun, Fitness, and Friendship.

The Liberty Bell Wanderers are a walking club in the Philadelphia area and we are affiliated with the American Volkssport Association (AVA) and the International Volkssport Association (IVV). We are one of over 300 clubs in the U.S. and conduct 2 types of walks during the year. These walks are called volksmarches, or literally people walks. All the walks are 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) to meet the international group standards, but often a shorter 3 mile trail is available. All the walks are "walk at your own pace". This is different from a group walk where you must try to keep up with walkers that may be much faster, or slower, than you. At our regular events, you can start at your convenience, usually any time between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., but must finish by 5 p.m. Our year round events allow walkers to walk any day of the year during daylight hours. The goal is to provide an opportunity to get out and walk not only for Fun, Fitness and Friendship but also to walk in many new and exciting areas near home or across the U.S. or the world. You walk at your own pace and can stop to look at scenery, take pictures, visit museums or shops, have a picnic or rest whenever you feel like it. Walks are held both in cities and towns and in parks to provide a variety of walking opportunities to satisfy all walkers.

Membership in the club is $10.00 per year for an individual or a family. While membership is not required to participate in the walks, the membership fee helps us to sponsor and promote walks during the year. A membership application is included on our website. Print the form and mail to our membership secretary. While you may walk Free, most walkers walk for AVA International Walk Credit (fee= $3.00 per walk) and record their Events and Distance in special log books. Additional information is also available on this website and on the AVA website.

The first type of walk, called a Regular Event, is usually held on a weekend. The current schedule for 2009 is included on the Weekend Event page

The second type of walk is called a Year Round Event (YRE) and is a self directed walk that a person may do any time it is convenient for them. This type of walk is popular with people that travel, as it allows them to do walks all over the country as they travel. There are over 1800 Year Round Events in the U.S.(49 year round walks plus 4 bike events in Pennsylvania). We sponsor 13 YRE’s These walks are listed on the Year Round Events page

We do not try to schedule walks every weekend because we try to encourage walkers to participate in walks sponsored by other clubs in the area. There are 2 clubs in New Jersey, 2 in Delaware, 11 in Maryland and 8 in Pennsylvania, so there are plenty of opportunities to walk every weekend within a reasonable driving distance. Nearby clubs in Pennslyvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland offer walks in places like Harrisburg, Gettysburg, Lancaster, Hershey, Lebanon, York, Lititz, Princeton, Cape May, Long Branch, Baltimore, Havre de Grace, Annapolis, Rehoboth Beach, Dover, Wilmington and New Castle, just to mention a few, that are possible to do as a day trip. This encourages people to get out and see some of the beautiful areas of the East Coast instead of just walking in their own neighborhood. Of course, with over 300 clubs in the U.S. they can also walk in any of the 50 states and Canada when they are on vacation.

Another way interest is stimulated for walkers are through a number of Special Programs. These programs are optional and involves buying a special book for the program. Some of the special programs are: Covered Bridges ( walk near or through 12 different covered bridges), Islands, Museums, Gardens, Cemeteries, All 50 States, All 51 Capitals, , American Presidents, Native American Heritage, Walk Europe in the U.S. (walk in cities with European city names- i.e.York), Walk Cities A-Z (i.e. Bethlehem=B), and Walk the 67 Pennsylvania Counties.