These Craven County people are 'hooked on walking'

BRIDGETON - While walking down B Street with her husband and about 30 others, Wanda Snell said she had her first chance Saturday to explore the town.

Snell and her fellow walkers have made a habit of exploring Craven County parks, streets and neighborhoods as participants in the "Hooked on Walking" club.

Terry Petrangelo started the club March 29, 2008, more than a year after moving to New Bern from Rhode Island. Petrangelo started and ran two walking clubs in Rhode Island. After moving to New Bern, she approached the Craven County Parks and Recreation Department, which said it wanted to sponsor a walking club.

"It was my way of meeting a cross-section of people in New Bern," she said. "I picked Saturday because I wanted to get a lot of people from various places. Some people will call me and say they can't walk two or three miles. I tell them everyone walks at their own pace."

Several members of the group say Richard Ward likes to walk near the front of the line. Ward, who is 85, said he always liked walking, so joining the group was natural for him.

Kitty Frazer often drifts to the front of the line, too. Frazer said she would not have seen most of the New Bern area if Petrangelo had not started the walking club.

"And there isn't much that'll get me out on a Saturday morning," Pat Lue said. "Now with Hooked on Walking, there's no question where I'm going when I get up."

Lue said she was "running on fumes" Saturday. She had just slept 12 hours after returning from her son's wedding at a Disney theme park.

Everyone in the walking group talked about holiday vacations, waved at each other and asked how spouses were doing Saturday. The group met at the old hardware store on U.S. 17 in Bridgeton. It walked to the marina, past the old elementary school and to Hardee's.

At least four new members walked with the group. More than 20 people usually attend meetings, and club participants live in one of many Craven County neighborhoods and towns, including Greenbrier, Taberna and River Bend.

"Many of us are displaced Northerners," said Mike Tully, whose wife, Liz, got him involved in walking with the group.

"It's a good way to meet people and get a little exercise," Tully said. "It's kind of funny. We run and then go to a place like Hardee's and Bojangles."

The group meets to walk at 8:30 a.m. in the summer and 9 in the winter. After the walk, participants go to a restaurant for fellowship. Like the walking places, Terry Petrangelo said the restaurant choices move around. Sometimes people cook for the group. Petrangelo said she likes to move the meetings around to keep the club exciting.

"My husband and I are adventurous," she said. "We like to share our experiences."