Photo courtesy Francecsco Papalia
Photo courtesy Ken McCroskey
AS&R had another successful Albany Arts and Green Festival on Sunday, May 3rd!
We parked more than 60 bikes & scooters and talked to lots of people about what AS&R does and what they want to see in and around Albany to make it better for strolling and rolling.
The giant laminated map that Preston made was a great conversation starter with passers-by and we got many informative comments with the dry-erase markers. I promise you’ll see that map more often at future events and functions!
To those 26 people who just signed up for our email list, hello and welcome! We look forward to your input on issues and at events, and to seeing you around town.
Kelly was one of 6 winners of a great bike bell, donated by Blue Heron Bikes! Photo courtesy Amy Smolens
These kids were so excited about winning a bike bell that they didn’t even take their helmets off before coloring! Photo courtesy Francesco Papalia
Our second annual kids’ coloring contest was a huge hit. More than 40 kids, aged 3-13, enjoyed drawing their visions of biking, walking, skateboarding and scootering in Albany. They took their time and seemed very focused on winning the cool bicycle bells donated by Blue Heron Bikes. There was so much creative art that we had a very hard time picking only 6 kids to give the bells to – we could have found even more winners! We really appreciate Rob Allen at Blue Heron’s support and donations at our events!
Our other consistent community supporting businesses are Pat Boonyalak Viboonlarp’s Bua
Angela & director Mac were among the many volunteers who keep the Bicycle Valet Parking flowing smoothly. Photo courtesy Francesco Papalia
Luang and Tay Tah, who sponsored our Bicycle Valet Parking and supplied delicious lunches & Thai Iced Tea for all of our volunteers! That certainly helped fuel us through the rest of the event. All the volunteers also received personalized coupons for either Bua Luang or Tay Tah, a great extra thank you for your time!
Both Pat and Rob stopped by our table to say hi while they enjoyed the Festival. We truly appreciate their continued support of AS&R’s efforts to make cycling more convenient & safe here in Albany and nearby.
Nick, Michael, Kim, Shauniece, Britt (a superstar with her organization and by bringing her Xtracycle with electric assist,) Eileen (awesome with setup, too!,) Francesco and I staffed the AS&R table. Everyone engaged passers-by into meaningful discussions, found kids who liked to draw and encouraged them to color their ideas of biking/running/scooting/playing in Albany, sold “Check for Bikes” clings & stickers, signed up 26 new members to bring us past the 600 mark – all while enjoying great music! Jean and Michael were absolutely stellar in the wrapup, breaking everything down and making sure everything was neatly packed up and organized.
Mac McCurdy ably directed the Bicycle Valet Parking from the early morning setup with Ken, as he’d been working on the organization for the past weeks … thanks to the help of Jean, Marcia, Mark, Barb, Anne, Angela, Paul and Joan (who replaced a late cancellation.) Everyone helped where needed and had fun in the process!
Cory and Marsalis from Street Level Cycles did their usual great job giving FREE tuneups to anyone who rolled up with a bike! The good news is that every year there are fewer and fewer tuneups needed, which means that people are riding more and keeping their bikes in working order! They also gave a free “How to Fix a Flat Tire” clinic to festival attendees. Thanks for your hard work and for getting more bikes functioning well and safely!!
Thanks again to all of you who volunteered, parked your bikes, stopped by, chatted and bought “Check for Bikes” clings or stickers! Let’s do it again sometime!
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