Open Streets Minneapolis, public events that shut down streets for several hours to vehicles to bring out people on foot and by wheels to come together as neighbors, has another busy summer in store.

Our Streets Minneapolis, formerly known as the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition, organizes the events, with the support of the city among others. Seven Open Streets are planned through mid-September. The first gathering was on Lyndale Avenue S. on June 4. Lyndale was the site of the inaugural Open Streets in 2011. That one drew 5,000 people; last year, Lyndale swarmed with 23,000 people. Owing to its popularity, this year's gathering extended several blocks to West 54th Street.

The next Open Streets is in downtown Sunday.

More important than people coming out, there are a lot of relationships that have been built among community organizations that come together to put on the events, said Alex Tsatsoulis, Our Streets communications and development director. "We provide the template, and they create their own experience and showcase their own neighborhood in unique ways."

Tsatsoulis said the Franklin Avenue event (Aug. 27) is a great example of that synergy between neighborhood and business groups and local residents. "They have really owned that event," he said.

Here is the rest of the lineup: Lake and Minnehaha, July 23; Northeast, Aug. 6; Franklin, Aug. 27; West Broadway, Sept. 9; and Nicollet, Sept. 24.

BOB TIMMONS

See the summer big list