 Peekskill, NY - A “poker” bike rally, bike limbo kids’ races, guided trail rides, raffles for prizes and live music will highlight the 13th annual Fat Tire Festival Sunday, June 8, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Blue Mountain Reservation in Peekskill.
The event is presented by Westchester County Parks and Westchester Mountain Biking Association (WMBA), a mountain biking advocacy group dedicated to promoting the use of mountain bikes on trails in a safe and environmentally friendly manner. A portion of the proceeds from the day’s events will benefit the Friends of Westchester County Parks, Inc., a not-for-profit agency that supports Westchester’s parks, promotes their value to the economic, social and aesthetic vitality of the community, and stimulates public participation, interest and support in their preservation.
In the bicycle poker rally contestants ride the trails, stopping at different stations to pick up a playing card; the more stations they visit, the more cards they collect as they try to build the best poker hand to win the game. This is a great event for riders of all skill and fitness levels. All “players” receive a commemorative T-shirt and are eligible to win a mountain bike. Cyclists can sign up for the rally at the main WMBA tent on the day of the festival.
Festival-goers can also join the fun by participating in the “Bike Limbo,” in which cyclists of all ages are challenged to see “how low they can go” under the limbo bar. The festival will include the “Slowest Rider” race in which the last rider over the finish line wins. There will also be trail demonstrations to see how expert mountain bicyclists handle their rigs. Guided trail rides will be held throughout the event for cyclists of all skill levels (including children), and festival-goers will have an opportunity to try out the latest suspension bikes for real test rides on the beautiful Blue Mountain trails.
Live music will be performed by local ensembles from the Lagond Music School, Inc. of Elmsford.
Food and refreshments will be available for purchase.
Admission and parking are free; the event will be held rain or shine.
Please note that according to New York State law, children 14 years of age and younger must wear a bicycle helmet. All riders are required to wear a helmet for all festival activities.
Blue Mountain Reservation in Peekskill can be reached via Route 9, north or south, to Welcher Avenue; head east off the exit and straight to the entrance to the park.
For more information about the “Fat Tire Festival 2008,” log on to www.wmba.org or call the County Parks Department at (914) 864-PARK.
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