Sacramento walking group hits Folsom streets

Groups of strangers took to the streets of Folsom Thursday morning, but they weren't protestors or even average tourists -- just walkers.Known as the Sacramento Walking Sticks, the group organizes walks in towns as far south as Stockton, north to Oroville and west to Vacaville, according to Charlie Fowble, of Elk Grove."We walk every Tuesday and Thursday morning," he said. "There are about 40 walks in the metropolitan area of Sacramento. On weekends, we go a lot farther away."A few months ago, the group walked around Reno, Virginia City and Carson City, all in Nevada. On Saturday, they plan to go to Mare Island in Vallejo, he said.Chris Ferguson, of Citrus Heights, enjoys the walks."This is my fifth walk and I love it," she said. "People come from all over (like) Petaluma and Auburn."Betty Howland, a former Shingle Springs resident who now calls Loomis home, said the group organizes non-competitive walks."We have walks all over the place, like up in Auburn," she said. "If anybody wants to join in, they are welcome."They stopped in front of the Gingerwood House at Figueroa and Coloma. The homeowner, Deino Trotta, came out and greeted them, explaining what he was planning to do with the home. The house was featured in a front page story in the Folsom Telegraph in November. To read the story, click here.To learn more about the walking group, visit their Web site at http://www.sacramentowalkingsticks.org/.