Megan Stewart
When the Sweet Home Police Department had to cancel the annual Jim Bean Public Safety Fair in June due to COVID-19 restrictions, that created a problem: How to distribute bike helmets that had been donated for local children’s use.
Partially to solve this issue, the SHPD hosted the city’s first Bicycle Rodeo event Friday afternoon, July 10.
However, the main goal of the Bicycle Rodeo, Community Services Officer Sean Morgan said, was “to help keep kids safe and help teach them to be safe when riding out in the community.” Not having the Public Safety Fair this year had left a gap in this kind of education for Sweet Home.
Morgan estimated that about 130 people attended the event, which ran from 3 to 6 p.m., and police handed out more than 80 helmets. Santiam Spokes Bicycle Club and Kiwanis Club had donated many of the helmets, and the police department purchased more with the help of donations and fundraisers, such as The Point Restaurant’s Steak Out event. Sherry Gregory Home Team, Radiator Supply House, Thriftway, Spoletto’s, and Tell and Sell also sponsored the event.
To create a fun learning environment, the SHPD and around 20 volunteers set up five obstacle courses for children to practice important safety concepts. One station, called Who’s There, taught kids how to look behind them without swerving. Demon Driveway simulated slowly inching out of a driveway and peeking around parked cars before riding into the street.
During Crazy Corners, kids practiced navigating an intersection safely and obeying stop signs.
The Rock Dodge required participants to avoid obstacles while maintaining tight control of their bicycles.
In How Slow Can You Go, kids tried to take as long as possible to cross a finish line while maintaining their balance on their bikes.
Ken Bronson from Santiam Spokes Bicycle Club, who also monitored How Slow Can You Go, said this event helps children learn how to “think like a car” and “not just be safe but respectful” when riding in “traffic.”
“They need to know how to ride safely, so they know how to get around on their own,” said Donna Short, another volunteer from Santiam Spokes.
Children need to learn to “be predictable,” she said. “That’s one of the big ones.”
After completing each station, children received a stamp on their passport. Once they filled their passports, children could enter their names into drawings for the chance to win prizes. Of course, the grand prizes were bicycles. Radiator Supply House donated two small bikes with training wheels and Sherry Gregory Home Team donated two medium bikes.
Other attractions at the Bicycle Rodeo included free bike inspections, bike registrations that help police identify and return lost or stolen bikes, lunches, waters, and stickers. The event even had a fire engine, though Morgan said it was only present to “look pretty.”
“I’m glad they’re [the police department] doing something like this,” said Sweet Home Chamber of Commerce Board Member Karla Hogan, who attended the event with her 11-year-old niece Bailey Chaffin and 10-year-old nephew Bryce Chaffin. Hogan said she brought them to the event because she “thought it would be fun” and she hasn’t “spent much time with them lately.”
They weren’t the only ones seeking enjoyment and quality time with others.
Amy Berg said her children, 7-year-old Kael Stewart and 3-year-old Leela Stewart, had “fun” riding through the course, as well as interacting with their friends and other “people they know.” She said when the three of them go for walks, Kael and Leela like to ride their bikes and race each other.
“They listen to other people more than they listen to me about this [bicycle safety] stuff,” said Berg, adding that the Bicycle Rodeo helped her kids “to learn the rules from someone who knows what they’re talking about.”
While Hunter Lee, 11, said he didn’t learn much from the course, other than how to signal when turning, he did ride away that afternoon with a new favorite activity: The Rock Dodge. Hunter attended the event with his mother Teresa Lee and older brothers, Jordan Hardesty, 15, and Wyatt Hardesty, 13.
Wyatt, who along with Teresa and Jordan watched Hunter from the sidelines, said his favorite part of the Bicycle Rodeo was the free stickers.
As for how they learned about the rodeo, Hunter said, “I saw it on a Facebook thing.”
“And then he invited me,” said Teresa, with a small smile.
Dakota, 16, Kaden, 12, and Xavier, 12 – another trio of brothers – said they showed up “just to get out of the house,” as they’d been stuck inside the entire day. All three said they enjoyed The Rock Dodge and “the slow one” the best.
“I’m so happy about all the games,” said Will Thornton, 5, who was joined by his brother Joseph, 7, and his mother Courtney.
“I’ve got a couple of bikers,” said Courtney, whose neighbor, a Vietnam veteran, told her about the event.
“They wanted to show off their skills,” she said, noting that her boys are “very competitive.” She also said she noticed they wore “pretty big smiles” as they rode through the courses.
“The little kids seem to be having a good time,” said John Blanchard, a volunteer firefighter who just recently finished his training. “It’s good to give back and to see people happy with what you’re doing.”
Blanchard was one of four volunteers for the Sweet Home Fire District who helped make the Bicycle Rodeo happen. In addition to the two representatives from Santiam Spokes, most of the remaining helpers were SHPD volunteers.
“All of the volunteers were amazing, and they were absolutely key to having a successful event,” said Morgan.
Anyone is interested in becoming a volunteer for the Sweet Home Police Department should contact Morgan. Like the Bicycle Rodeo, volunteers help put on different events, including the Christmas program in the winter and various awareness programs in the spring. Morgan can be reached at (541) 367-5181.