Port Byron, IL - May is Bike Month! To celebrate, Port Byron, IL and Sparta, WI will kick off the inaugural Will to Ben bicycle ride with a news conference at 3 p.m. Friday, May 8 in downtown Port Byron, IL at the Will Be Rollin' statue. Port Byron Mayor Kevin Klute, other Quad Cities dignitaries, and officials from Sparta WI will provide information on this unique ride to occur between two communities and two states October 3-9, 2015.
Local members of the Quad Cities Bicycle Club and fans of the penny farthing bicycles will also be on hand to kick-off the event. It is hoped that this will become one of the Midwest's premier
annual bike rides linking the two 30 foot penny-farthing bicycles. "When the bicyclists leave Port Byron they 'Will B. Rolling;' when they reach Sparta they've 'Ben Bikin.'"
Background:
The Village of Port Byron, IL, the Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Blackhawk Waterways Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Sparta, WI Chamber of Commerce, and communities in between have partnered to create the inaugural "Will B. Rolling to Ben Bikin" bicycle tour to be held October 3-9, 2015. The tour covers portions of Northwestern Illinois and Southwestern Wisconsin at a time of year when fall colors should be at their peak and when Sparta's Fallfest is in full swing to offer riders festivities at the conclusion of the tour. The ride covers six days, averaging 10 hours per day.
In 1995, Sparta designed and manufactured a large fiberglass "man" dressed in Sparta colors (red and gold), sitting on a penny-farthing bike. The bike and rider were installed in the Information Area on the corner of Water and Highway 16, a prominent spot for viewing, and were named "Ben Bikin." The statue was manufactured by a local Sparta company called Fiberglass Animals Shapes & Trademarks (F.A.S.T.).
In 2013, the Port Byron Mayor visited Sparta to ride the famous Elroy-Sparta Trail and was impressed with the statue. F.A.S.T. was commissioned to build a replica to be called Will B. Rolling, and it was installed in 2013 in a prominent location in downtown Port Byron, adjacent to the Mississippi River and the Great River Trail. The mayors began to discuss the possibility of connecting the two towns with a bicycling event. The Sparta Area Chamber of Commerce began collaborating between the two cities and eventually contracted with Bicycle Illinois to coordinate the logistics of the event.
To register go to www.willtoben.com
Other Announcements:
Quad City Get Out And Trail (GOAT) Event
Bettendorf, Davenport, Moline, and Rock Island Parks and Recreation Departments invite the public to participate in their annual GOAT event! This "Get Out And Trail" event will be held on Saturday, May 9, 2015 from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Enjoy the many trails in the Quad Cities with your family and friends. The majority of the routes are on separated trails along the Mississippi River and Duck Creek in Iowa and the Rock River in Illinois. Walk, jog, bike, or rollerblade as much or as little of the many trails as you want and in any direction, starting from any location.
Various hosts will be located throughout the loop from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. with refreshments available. There will also be raffle tickets given out to anyone visiting any of the rest stops, so be sure to stop by as many as you can to help your chances of winning great prizes! This is a free event, and no registration is needed. Maps of the routes are available at the following locations:
Bettendorf Parks and Recreation at (563)344-4113 or http://www.bettendorf.org/parks
Davenport Parks and Recreation at (563)328-7275 or
http://www.cityofdavenportiowa.com/parks
Moline Parks and Recreation at (309) 524-2424 or http://www.molineparks.com
Rock Island Parks and Recreation at (309) 732-7275 or http://www.rigov.com
** END**
