BonnerSprings.com

Rain, snow, excessive heat. No matter the weather, the Bonner Springs Walkie Talkies are on the move.

For 25 years, the early-morning walking group that meets at the Bonner Springs Community Center has made countless numbers of laps around the gym, but what is really being kept track of are the friendships made and the attitude the group creates.

“We’re young at heart,” said Virginia Billings as she started on her first lap of the morning. “Our bones aren’t that way, but we are.”

Joining Billings on her walk that morning were friends Zola Bundy and Frances Haynes. The three women have been coming to the walking group since the beginning.

“I’m old and we’ve been doing this for 25 years,” Bundy said. “We used to walk the mile in 15 minutes. We don’t anymore, but we still come out here everyday.”

The Community Center gym opens to the group at 8 a.m. Monday through Friday. Some people keep track of how far they walk, but most just enjoy the company of the nine or so other regulars who also attend.

“We’ve known each other for years,” Haynes said of Bundy. “After our walks we go get a cappuccino together.”

“It’s low-fat of course,” Bundy added quickly, saying that her doctor doesn’t mind because he knows how much she enjoys the visits.

A cappuccino here and there can’t hurt though, Bundy said, because at least she’s out getting exercise.

“We walk everyday because it’s good for our health,” she said.

Coming into the gym later to join in was Ernie and Alice Pintar. The couple is another part of the regulars that walk every day.

“Exercise everyday. You’ve got to have it. We walk at least a mile everyday,” Ernie said.

As he and his wife make their way around the gym, silently keeping track of the number of laps they’ve made, Ernie said they’ve been walking for about 12 years. As they pass a sign overhead, he points out that 17 laps around the gym makes one miles and that’s their daily goal.

“It keeps you young,” he said. “I notice a difference when we don’t walk over the weekend. I like the way I feel when I walk. And it keeps the weight down. We’re just lucky to have a place like this where we can go.”

As a few more people wander in, “hellos” and “good to see yous” fill the gym. Everyone knows one another and everyone is welcome to join in this group.

The average age of the walking groups participants is 80, but don’t let that fool you. This group has accomplished some pretty impressive feats.

Back in the day, Bundy said, when the group got crowds of people that filled the gym, they participated in the Walk Across Kansas program twice. The group kept track of how far they walked and the goal was to walk the miles it would take to walk across the state.

“One year we walked across Missouri too,” Bundy said. “We first walked across Kansas but it was still early in the game so we just kept going.”

A similar walking club was recently establish in Edwardsville. The attendance is not nearly as consistent as the Bonner Springs group but city officials are hoping it catches on.

The Edwardsville Morning Steppers meet from 7:30-9:30 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays in the Edwardsville Community Center, 696 S. 3rd Street.

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