Mason City Youth Bicycle Safety Rodeo event to be held

MASON CITY – The Mason City Youth Bicycle Safety Rodeo will be held on Saturday, May 11 from 9-11a.m. in the Parking Lot WEST of the Mason City Police Department. The Mason City Community School District and Newman Catholic Schools School are encouraging students and families to participate in the fun and educational safety event. A bicycle rodeo is a hands-on education approach teaching students how to properly and safely ride bicycles. This rodeo follows the bicycle classroom education curriculum 3rd grade students will learn the week of May 6th.

Biking is an easy way to promote physical activity and to aid in the reduction of childhood obesity. Participating in the bicycle rodeo introduces children to physical, social, and environmental benefits of biking and fosters a sense of community.
There will be six (6) stations in which children may participate. Children will practice recognizing stop and yield signs and practice using correct hand signals. They will also practice bicycle handling using shoulder checks for cars, bikes, and pedestrians. Participants will be entered into a raffle to receive a new youth bicycle, donated by Thrivent Financial. Raffle drawings will be held at 10:00 a.m. Sponsors of this event include: Wayne’s Ski and Cycle donating time and tools to help with basic repairs on participants’ bikes, the River City Kiwanis Club donating helmets to children who are in need, Spin Devo and North Iowa Spin volunteers who will be directing the bike course, the Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health, Healthy Mason City, and the Mason City Police Department.

Participants must bring their own bicycle to participate in the bike rodeo.

For more information regarding the Mason City Community Bike Rodeo on Saturday, May 11, from 9-11 am, please contact Kelli Gerdes, Safe Routes to School Coordinator at 641-421-9312 or Dave Versteeg, Superintendent, Mason City Community School District at 641-421-4401.

Co-sponsors of the Mason City Community Bicycle Rodeo include: Mason City Police Department, Cerro Gordo County Public Health, Healthy Mason City, River City Kiwanis, North Iowa SPIN, Wayne’s Ski & Cycle, SPIN DEVO, Iowa Department of Public Health, and Thrivent Financial.