A team of Knox County Commissioners captained by Mayor Mike Ragsdale will square off against their City of Knoxville counterparts and Mayor Bill Haslam this week to see who really knows their way around downtown.
The Third Annual Mayor's Cup event - part scavenger hunt and part hand-shaking, proclamation-signing and baby-kissing extravaganza - kicks off at noon Wednesday, May 14th on the stage at Market Square.
The event is designed to promote Smart Trips Month, an ongoing campaign in May that encourages commuters to carpool, take the bus, bike or walk to work and other places.
The Smart Trips program promotes alternatives to driving alone and offers resources to help commuters find a different way to get where they are going.
To learn more about Smart Trips, a program offered by the Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization, please go to www.smarttrips.org.
The Mayor's Cup highlights walking, particularly all the things someone can walk to in downtown Knoxville.
This year's event pits the two teams in a competition to see which one will be the first to complete their walking missions to downtown destinations and return to the square with various treasures from those locations.
Each team, consisting of the mayors and four officials from the City or County, will be given a list of different downtown destinations - one for each of the four team members - where they will collect an item.
While they walk - no running allowed of course - to their destination the two mayors will remain on the square engaged in mayoral tasks that will include shaking at least five hands, signing a proclamation and registering for a Smart Trips Undriver's License.
To get an Undriver's license the participant commits to use an alternative form of travel to reach a destination they would usually reach by driving.
Once the mayor and his team members complete all their tasks there is one step left to claiming the prestigious Mayor's Cup - finding a baby to kiss.
"We thought this would be a fun way to highlight walking as an alternative mode of travel - especially in places like downtown," said Smart Trips Coordinator Tina Rolen. "Knoxville has a great greenway system that connects downtown Knoxville to places like the University of Tennessee, Volunteer Landing and World's Fair Park to neighborhoods stretching from Morningside Park in East Knoxville to Bearden in West Knoxville."
In addition to Mayor Ragsdale members of Knox County's team include Commissioners, Tony Norman, Larry Smith, Richard Briggs and William Daniels.
The City of Knoxville's team includes Mayor Haslam and Council members, Rob Frost, Joe Hultquist and Bob Becker.