Bikes and Boards event promises a fun time for the whole family

By JAMES TUBB on June 2, 2022.

jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb

The Whiskey District, Cycle Path and Boarding house are teaming up to kick off the summer this weekend.

Saturday afternoon from 1-6 p.m. the Whiskey District will play host to the event Bikes and Boards, aimed at highlighting local talent and getting people together for a day of fun and celebration in the sun.

Front of house manager for the Whiskey District, Cindy Organ, says she is looking forward to seeing the kids enjoy themselves at the event.

“I think I’m most excited to see all these kids dancing in the parking lot,” Organ said. “I think I’m pumped to see all these kids having fun.”

The local band of 15-year-olds, the ‘Unwanted Opinions,’ will be performing from 3-5 p.m. and have donated their time to the event.

Organ said there will be face painting from Red Rum tattoo, Badlands Gym is opening its facilities for walk throughs and washroom use, the board house is setting up a half pipe for use and is donating $1,500 of skate gear, SPCA is sending a dog trainer to teach kids how to approach dogs and give rudimentary training lessons and Whiskey District is providing the food.

“It’s going to be a parking lot event, supporting summer and all the new things that are happening and all the new community groups that you can get involved with,” Organ said.

The event runs the same weekend as the Spectrum Festival at Kin Coulee park. Organ said she’s hoping people will attend both and share the community feeling.

Cycle Path will be demonstrating e-bikes along the teepee hill. Owner Greg Watson said there’s been a lot of interest and people can experience them on the paths where they’ll use them.

“It’s a good opportunity to find out what they are really like,” Watson said. “It allows everybody to go right up and down the hill, no matter who you are.”

Watson said there’s a lot of misinformation about the e-bikes and which ones can be used on paths within the city.

“A lot of them sold on the internet are non compliant to the Canadian Motor Vehicle act, things like throttles, those kinds of things aren’t actually legal on bike paths,” Watson said. “All of the bikes that we sell are compliant and legal for riding in the city, which is very important. When you buy an e-bike, you want something that can be serviced and that’s very, very important.”

Watson said he is excited for people to come enjoy the free event and spend time together.

“We’re going to have some of the bike reps there and some of the different bike companies so they can show what they’re doing,” Watson said. “There’s going to be lots of neat stuff and it’s all free what we’re doing, the music is free, the boarding is free, sensory bus is going to be there for the kids so they can experience it. Lots of neat things for the family.”

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