Norris Park event promotes cycling, skateboarding

McCOOK, Nebraska -- The Sapphire Bike Club is coordinating a Bike and Skateboard Show at Norris Park, Saturday, to promote bicycle awareness in Southwest Nebraska. Residents are encouraged to bike or skateboard to the park and join in on the celebration, scheduled from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., with live music at the bandshell from at least four area groups, 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The bike show has drawn support from area businesses as well as the McCook City Council and the McCook Police Department.

The McCook Toy Box mechanics will be at the park to offer free maintenance checks and provide a "prescription of repairs" that when taken to Tinker Tom's repair shop will provide a discounted price on parts.

Walmart representatives will have a 20" bike on display that participants can register to win. The bike is scheduled for a May 18 drawing at the retail store.

Linda Maiden Insurance will be providing bike safety promotions and an indoor cycling studio from Indianola, Fit So Fly, will be offering information on their spinning classes.

The McCook Cycling Club will also have members at the park to offer tips on how to fix your bike from their group of long distance cyclists.

The Solo Motorcycle Club will be raffling an ATK skateboard deck or a pair of Bullet skateboard trucks donated by Tinker Tom's at the bike show. The deck will have a custom paint job provided by artists from Twisted Image Tattoo Shop. The motorcycle club is requesting entrants donate a canned food item in exchange for their entry into the raffle, all canned food donations will then be donated to the McCook Pantry.

McCook School Resource Officer John Smith will be at the park during the bike show to educate riders on a potential bicycle registration program that he hopes to implement. The program intends to serve as a deterrent to bicycle theft incidents, which are responsible for the majority of the approximate 100 bikes annually recovered by the McCook police department, many of which end up being auctioned off.

Participation in the program will be free and will include recording the bikes' serial number and owner information, providing a quick-reference database so that recovered bikes may be returned to their owners.

During their April meeting the McCook City Council proclaimed the Month of May as "Bike Month," in addition to May 14-18 as "Bike to Work Week" and May 18 as "Bike to Work Day."

Several area businesses are offering promotions in support of the proclamation and the bike show, including the B Street bakery Home Spun, who will be giving a free brownie to anyone who rides their bicycle to the bakery during Ride to Work Week, May 14-18. Throughout the month of May Sehnert's Bakery is offering a free soft drink with any sandwich purchase to patrons traveling via bicycle and similarly, riders that make their way to Subway in the Westview Plaza will be rewarded with a free soft-drink with sandwich purchase during Ride to Work Day, May 18.

For questions or participation information pertaining to the bike and skateboard show contact event coordinator Tim Monzon at 340-2315.