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First Lakeside Avenue Bike Festival gears up for activities

Posted at 1:59 PM, Apr 28, 2016
and last updated 2016-04-28 14:02:58-04

RVA Bike MonthHENRICO, Va. –The Lakeside Avenue community, designated one of Richmond’s first Bike-Friendly Business Districts, will host its first ever bike festival on April 30.

The event is one of 60 taking place during RVA Bike Month.

The day starts with a family-friendly bike from the Northside Bellvue neighborhood over to the Lakeside Farmer’s Market, via Bryan Park. Riders should gather at 9 a.m. in front of the businesses on MacArthur Avenue, for a 9:30 a.m. departure.

The ride is approximately 2.5 miles on neighborhood streets and paved park roads and ends at the heart of the festival activities in the Lakeside Shopping District. All ride participants will receive a free pass to Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.

There will be  bike-related activities, live music, food and shopping specials from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.  with the Lakeside Farmer’s Market serving as the festival hub, though community businesses will offer discounts to participants.

The Facebook event page can be found here.

Activities are below:

  • Live music by Mike Palmer of the Barracudas
  • Food and drink available for purchase, including burgers, pizza, BBQ, sandwiches, salads, empanadas, a fish fry, bakery goodies, gourmet coffee and tea, Final Gravity beer and more.
  • A Kid’s Bike Rodeo obstacle course organized by Bike Walk Northside
  • Free bike check-ups by Richmond Re-cycles
  • Helmet sales by IamRVA non-profit
  • Bike safety education and information from Sports Backers and Henrico County
  • RABA bike demos
  • Bike Gear Swap
  • Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden children’s activity and a drawing for a free garden membership
  • Ribbon-cutting at new Bike Sculpture with the Honorable Frank J. Thornton, Henrico County Supervisor
  • Lakeside Farmer’s Market
  • Spoken4 Pedicab rides along Lakeside Avenue at a discounted rate of $3 per person
  • Vintage Bike display
  • Bell Joy Ride, a program designed to inspire and enable female mountain bikers of all levels, will have a table with raffle and give-aways

Lakeside bike history a perfect fit for resurgence in community cycling interest

A partnership between the Lakeside Business Association and Bike Walk RVA, a program of Sports Backers, was created for the development of a bike-friendly district. The first coordinated effort produced “Bike Friendly Saturdays,” in which 21 businesses along Lakeside Avenue participated by offering incentives for customers who biked to the location.

Lakeside, which is bordered by Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden at one end and Bryan Park at the other, is growing as a popular neighborhood and shopping destination, with a village feel, the organizers said.

“More people are being drawn to Lakeside for its shopping, dining, and other attractions,” says Beth Monroe, Public Relations and Marketing Director for Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. “It makes sense for us to promote biking given our early history as the Lakeside Wheel Club in 1895.”

“Bike lanes, bicycle parking, sidewalk benches, and good pedestrian crossings all act as catalysts for local economies by increasing the safety and comfort of people who visit an area to shop or dine,” said Max Hepp-Buchanan, Director of Bike Walk RVA. “If you want to get more people to a business district to spend money, plan improvements that make them feel welcome, whether they drive, walk, or bike there. Lakeside is taking big steps in that direction.”

Lakeside is less than three miles away from Scott’s Addition and Museum District locations.

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