The Ross County Health District, along with multiple partners, will host a bicycle rodeo on Sunday, June 27th.
The event will take place from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Kiwanis Shelter House in Chillicothe’s Yoctangee Park.
The family friendly event will provide bicycle education for all age groups, teaching folks how to safely ride a bicycle for both recreation and active transportation.
“It is part of our Active Transportation Plan for Ross County,” says Ross Health District Community Health Specialist Ciara Martin. “One of the components of that plan is to provide bicycle safety education.”
On completion of the bicycle rodeo course, participants will be entered into a raffle to win one of four free bicycles provided by the CHC program, and the first 145 people to register for the raffle will receive a free bicycle helmet courtesy of Ross County Park District and American Pediatrics.
“It’ll just be a show up and participate type of event,” said Martin. “We will do registration at the Kiwanis Shelter in Yoctangee Park, but there won’t be any pre-registration.”
Some of the Health District’s bicycle rodeo partners will also be set up at the rodeo, providing giveaways of coloring books, bicycle equipment and more.
“We’re encouraging people to bring their own bikes,” says Martin. “There will be bike inspections taking place checking things like handle bar safety, and if the chain is attached correctly; things like that to let you know your bike is safe.”
There will also be various activities for participants to partake in, such as the Ross County Sheriff’s Department kid-print station, as well as bicycle-themed arts and crafts from the local library.
The Chillicothe Ross County Public Library is currently developing a program for patrons that would allow them to check out a bike from the library. Library Director James Hill says the Book-A-Bike program is anticipated to be up and running around early July, barring any unforeseen delays. An official announcement on the new program is expected to take place at the Bicycle Rodeo.