Skokie’s Public Safety Commission is reinventing an annual cycling tradition in the hopes of attracting bicyclists of all ages to the new event, according to the village’s director of marketing and communications, Ann Tennes.
The Community Bicycle Safety Fair — formerly known as the Bicycle Rodeo — is slated to take place Aug. 28 during the village’s Backlot Bash weekend. It will be held 10 a.m. to noon in the north parking lot at Oakton Community College, 7701 N. Lincoln Ave., adjacent to the new Skokie Valley Trail.
The event, which is sponsored by Skokie’s Public Safety Commission, will include bike safety demonstrations by members of the village’s police department, bike registration and simple bicycle maintenance instruction from representatives of Al’s Cycle Shop. Attendees can also enter to win drawings for $50 gift certificates to the Lincoln Avenue business.
Tennes said the event was previously hosted at the Oakton Community Center and primarily drew small children. She said the commission opted to reinvent the annual tradition with the goal of encouraging cyclists of all ages to attend and to encourage participants to bike the 1 1/2-year-old, multi-use Skokie Valley Trail, which runs from Howard Street north to Dempster Street. Attendees are also urged to take part in the village’s Backlot Bash celebration.
“The purpose of the event is to promote cycling and bicycle safety, and the shift is to encourage people to utilize the Skokie Valley trail and to appeal to cyclists of all ages,” Tennes said.
Lee V. Gaines is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press. Jennifer Johnson contributed to this report.