BiCi Co. - Your November Event Calendar

There are a lot of bicycle related events coming up, and calendars can be confusing for some of us (including me).  Here's a short list of the events that you need to know about, particularly those that have to do with Bicycles and BiCi Co.  It feels like a wonderful November Bike-nado.

Cleaning up in our community - BiCi Co.

• Recurring Weekly in November - Demo DIY Bicycle Repair Hours at BiCi Co. (More Info)  Learn to change a tire, adjust a derailleur, or tighten that loose thingy.  We've got you covered, and you will get your hands dirty.
• Wednesdays from 5:30-8:30pm.  Starting on October 21st.  No hours on November 25th due to holiday weekend.
• Saturdays from 1:30-5:30pm.  Starting on November 7th.  No hours on November 28th due to holiday weekend.
• This is your opportunity to sample (for free!) what it would be like to be a BiCi Co. member.
• Local Music and BiCi Co. Social at Hook and Ladder.  Saturday, Nov 7th.  7-10pm at 209 Main Street.   Drink specials.  P.O.S.S.M playing great music, and a hug from Tony C for anyone that walks or bikes there.
• CT Rides Business Forum.  Thursday, Nov 12th.  8-10am, includes a light breakfast.  Learn about your commute options in Hartford.  A forum with local alternative transportation experts.  Great for employees and employers.  (More Info & Registration)
• Wetherfield Ave. Has a Bike Lane.  Thursday, Nov 12th @ Noon.  Come over to the Wethersfield Ave entrance to Colt park at Noon for a photo op and "thank you" to the Hartford DPW for working with the neighborhood organizations that requested bike lanes.   For all the griping and complaining, we'd like to offset a little with our hearty thanks.  For maximum effect, show up on bike - duh!  (Facebook Event)
• BiCi Co. Neighborhood Cleanup! Sunday, November 15th.  10am-1pm.  Meet at 97 Park Street.  Bicicletas and Communidad.  Bicycles and community.  BiCi Co. is reaching out to our friends, neighbors, and fellow bike riders to help clean up Park Street and the South Green neighborhood.  Let's put some shine on before winter hits and covers us up with snow.  Knox Inc. provides the supplies, we supply the human power! (Facebook event)
• Creative Cocktail Hour at Real Art Ways, Thursday, November 19th.  Join Hartford Prints and BiCi Co. at RAW.  "The best of everything Real Art Ways has to give: innovative art, invigorating music, and hundreds of the most interesting and open-minded people to share the experience." (More Info)
• Bike Walk CT Annual Dinner, Friday, November 20th at CCSU, 5:30pm.  Silent auction.  Nominate for People's Choice awards.  Featured speaker - the inspiring Colleen Kelly Alexander.  BiCi Co will be there and provided two "BiCi Co. Family Memberships" for the silent auction.  And the silent auction is choice!  Great for holiday shopping.
• Hartford Cranksgiving, Saturday, November 21st - In its fourth year, this all family friendly event collects food to donate for the Thanksgiving holiday.  Ride fast or slow, but make sure to bring a way to carry the groceries.  (Register Here)
• Final Slow Roll of 2015 and BiCi Co. Social.  Sunday, December 6th. Save the date.  More info soon.  Stay tuned to the BiCi Co. Facebook Page.

Don't forget to share the BiCi Co. Membership and Fundraising Campaign with all your bicycle loving friends!  We are depending on your invaluable grassroots publicity to get the word out.

Cyclists drink locally!

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Heaven in Hartford - Grand Opening Party

This is kind of a big deal.  Heaven, the community graffiti and skate/bike park located just north of downtown Hartford, is throwing a grand opening party this Saturday, July 12th.  In my (not so) humble opinion, Heaven is significantly more interesting than a $60 million AA baseball stadium.  Saturday is also the Riverfest Fireworks (nearby to Heaven) and the Real Ride (biking to the fireworks from Real Art Ways).  The Real Ride will be stopping at Heaven on the way to the riverfront, so if you're chilling there with your bike (or board, or skates) you can hook up with the rolling parade for the final stretch to the park.  More info below on Heaven from Luis Cotto.  

Get there.  Because 'Merica.

Big Shiny Burners

I'm a sucker for sugar skulls

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Hartford's first skatepark to open this Saturday, Celebration noon to 4 pm.

Please join us this Saturday at noon at Heaven (New Ross, County Wexford Park) in downtown Hartford, Connecticut at noon for the ribbon cutting ceremony and opening celebration of the City's first skatepark. After five years of effort by members of skateboard, BMX and hip hop community, the park is reopening again in its entirety with a world-class poured concrete skatepark for Hartfordites and others to enjoy. Of course, the history of the park with respect to skateboarding goes back nearly 20 years; as many know it was featured in several seminal 90's skate videos and established Hartford as the secret skate mecca of the Northeast.

The program will be begin at noon on Saturday with remarks from the Friends of Heaven Skatepark, local elected officials and others involved in the creation of this park. Invited and/or confirmed guests include Mayor Pedro Segarra, the Hartford Court of Common Council, former Councilmember Luis E. Cotto, 860 Custom Skateshop, Underground Coalition, the Tony Hawk Foundation and others. Please stay afterwards for demos, live music, graffiti, breakdancing and to use the park (or spectate). Starting Saturday, the skatepark will be open dawn to dusk everyday.

The Hartford Court of Common Council created the Hartford Skateboard Task Force in 2009 with the purpose of advising the City on the potential location, design and construction of a skatepark. Comprised of representatives of the skating, BMX, business, government and park communities, the Task Force fulfilled those goals and undertook fundraising and grant writing measures to ensure that the park would be built. The design for the park was created with strong community input and a devised process via a series of public meetings. Pulling together a United States Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant through the City of Hartford, a Tony Hawk Foundation Grant (first one in CT, making CT the final state in the country to get one) and individual donors, the park was able to secure funding and grow from a dream into reality. Through a competitive bidding process, the design/build team of Stantec and Who Skates was selected, designing and constructing the skatepark in 2013-2014.

The Friends of Heaven Skatepark is a group born out of the legacy of the Task Force to maintain, promote, program and encourage the free use of the New Ross, County Wexford Park and Heaven Skate Park by providing a space that fosters grassroots arts, recreation and culture for Hartford youth and residents.

More information about the Friends group and the history of the project and the space is available at www.heaveninhartford.org.

In the event of inclement weather, the rain date is Sunday with the same schedule.
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Real Ride Details - BIKE DECORATING BEGINS AT 6:30 PM, RIDE LEAVES AROUND 8:20 PM.  Starts and ends at 56 Arbor Street, Real Art Ways.  Stopping at Heaven on the way to the Riverfront.  Bring your lights, music, loud clothing, and your awesomest self and friends.

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If you like Hartford and Graffiti

I was reminded this week why Hartford is such an amazing city, especially if you give a damn.  There are so many opportunities to get engaged and influence the direction of the city.  Hartford is small enough that you only have to show up and you're making change.  This post may not seem like its about bikes, but it is.  Remember that being a cyclist or pedestrian means that you have decided to harbor radical thoughts.  Don't sit at home stewing in radicalism when action is imperative.   Hartford (or whatever city you call home) needs your radical thoughts for planning and the intellectual discourse.  These city plans and discussion groups often involve transportation plans, proposed bike lanes, and road diets.  Showing up at the meeting on a bike, and asking questions pertinent to non-motorized transportation keeps the topic at the top of the list.  Don't let your city wave the green flag without actually doing the stuff that makes change.

This time the info session is in Pope Park.  Do you think downtown dwellers can find it?

Next week you can weigh in on two different Hartford plans.  The first is the Hartford Parks Plan on Monday, December 9th at Pope Park from 6-8PM.  This is the final public comment session.  Hartford has extensive park acreage, and a limited budget for upkeep.  The public comment sessions are being used by the consultant along with paper and online surveys to find out what is important to Hartford residents.  The last info session rolled out a map showing desirable bicycle connections between the parks, which would also serve as a network for bicycling throughout the city.  This is a big deal.

If you're not at the table, your favorite park features might get dropped as the park plan is laid out.  This is a bit disconcerting for parts of Hartford's population that haven't been coming to the meetings.  The attendance and survey responses have been dominated by Westend and Downtown residents.   This last public info session has been wisely moved out of Downtown, which should make it easier for Frog Hollow, Behind the Rocks, and Barry Square residents to attend.  Spread the word if you live in one of those neighborhoods.

The near North of Downtown is being evaluated and a plan is being put together.  There is a public info session on Wednesday, November 11th at the Hartford Public Library at 6PM.  The initial feedback I'd heard on the North Downtown plan was negative, and that includes complaints of very little publicity for the previous public info session.  That means its time for residents  and business owners to show up in force and make sure their interests are being taken into account in this plan that will guide the City of Hartford when zoning and developing the area.  The planning also impacts the layout and improvement of city streets, which are currently highway no-man zones north of I-84.  I'm curious why the consultants didn't pick a location for this info session that is actually in the zone that they are studying?

If one is looking for information or intellectual engagement, it's here in spades.  Just this past week I went to a moderated discussion with the DEEP Commissioner at the Mark Twain House and a panel discussion on Hartford urban issues at the Hartford Public Library.  Coming up next Saturday is a presentation / discussion at Real Art Ways where they will be asking the question, "How do our surroundings shape us?"  A fitting question with all the Hartford plans in the offing.  The event starts at 1PM and appears to involve food if you get there by 12:30PM, and they want folks to RSVP.

All of these info sessions and discussions tie in to one of my favorite things.  Graffiti!   Heaven, a mecca of legal walls, just north of Downtown Hartford has a bunch of new stuff up.  Also took a stroll up the train tracks and was rewarded with several great pieces.  Don't forget to represent for Heaven, and tell your friends.  Friends don't let friends miss out on great street art.

So happy to find hieroglyphics.

They're watching you from the pyramid in the sky.

I really like when the graffiti includes characters along with the burner.  

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Making Connections in September

When do you make connections?   In the shower.  Under pressure.  While meditating.  Mile 60 of a century. I think we all have different spaces and situations where the pieces seem to fall into their seemingly predestined places.  Personally, the half hour I typically spend between sleeping and waking, particularly on the waking end, is the most productive.  Over the last week the thought nugget I've been churning has been the upcoming Discover Hartford Bicycle Tour.   The core tour committee has formed, and we are digesting the unexpected awesomeness that appears to be coming together on the weekend of September 20th through 22nd.

Not only has the Discover Hartford Bicycle Tour been scheduled on Saturday, September 21st, but there are bookending bicycle events on Friday and Sunday.  The Real Ride is aiming for Friday, and the downtown criterium races are planned for Sunday.  What!?  A three day bicycle weekend descending on the Hart-beat?  Yes.  The first question is, how does one successfully publicize a three-fold, weekend event like this?   The second question is, how can these three events combine and complement each other in the framework of fundraising and sponsorship.  Each event is quite different but still connected by the common mechanism of the humble bicycle.  

The Real Ride has a loyal following of Real Art Ways folks, and realistically with its current embodiment couldn't handle more than 300 riders.  That said the Real Ride has some "real" draw beyond the confines of Hartford metro.  Aficionados of lighted, urban night rides have attended from New Haven, Northampton, and Boston.  Initially I'm thinking of the Friday night Real Ride as an insiders' pre-party for the rest of the weekend.   Bike Walk CT could send a special invitation to the volunteers that won't have the opportunity to ride due to their Saturday duties.  Any indirect publicity beyond that already done via Facebook and the Real Art Ways website will bring in a few more folks, but the majority of the publicity will focus on the Discover Hartford Tour and the criterium races.

The Discover Hartford Bicycle Tour is a welcome reincarnation of the Hartford Parks Tour, as a fun / fundraiser ride for Bike Walk Connecticut.  Started in 2007 the Discover Hartford Tour blew back into town under the angel wings of Allan Williams.  Last year's 2012 tour was the most smoothly run, but unfortunately ran afoul of the weather gods and didn't get the day of registration that was hoped for.  This year, registration is open a month earlier.  The weather gods hate procrastinators, so get your ass registered early.  The Tour showcases the parks and hidden gems of Hartford, while promoting cycling as both recreation and transportation.  The audience for the tour is vast as there are 10, 25, and 40 mile routes.  The 10 mile route is perfect for less experienced cyclists and families.  The 25 mile route is the most popular and hits the parks in Hartford.  If you need more mileage, the 40 mile route leaves Hartford and samples other nearby communities - which have yet to be announced.  Each year the route gets switched up a bit.  There are cue sheets and the turns are marked / signed to keep you from getting lost.   So that you don't get confused and try to race, Bike Walk CT has rest stops and there is a list of historic sites and things you'll see.  You will at times stop and look around to take it all in - and that's OK.  Save the fast riding for Sunday's criterium.

The Discover Hartford Bicycle Tour is partnered with the Hartford Envisionfest.  Envisionfest is in its second year, and last year set the bar high.  After the tour, there are oodles of FREE things to do within easy walking and biking distance.  It's the whole package!  The burbites will be seething with jealousy, once they get done enjoying themselves of course.

And if you need a speed fix, either riding or spectating, Sunday, September 22nd is the inaugural Connecticut Cycling Festival.  Featuring an "electrifying nine turn course" and a sizable purse for winners, purported to be $15,000.  The official USA Cycling event will include races fit for novices, experts, and pros.  There will be a cycling expo that is sure to have vendors supplying the next best thing for your bike, diet, or saddle sores.  I haven't raced for ages, but I'll enjoy sitting in a shady spot along the course watching the spandex heroes riding in circles - some on bikes that cost as much as a good used car.

I'm not kidding folks.  This weekend in September is overwhelming.  How do we connect these events?  How should we connect the most riders to the registration?  Do you ever feel disconnected, when everything around you seems to be connected?

The following photos were captured while I was testing out a potential 40 mile route this past weekend.  (1) There was a big flood and humankind suffered.  (2) Humans triumphed over nature using machinery and technology.  (3) Man spends the rest of forever holding back the waters in Sisyphean fashion.  These curiously detailed panels were on an otherwise nondescript pumping station just a little ways off the route.

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Take me to the River

*** The RAW Real Ride has been rescheduled for Friday July 19th.  Similar timing, but there won't be fireworks.  The fireworks are on July 18th, which unfortunately fell on the evening of Creative Cocktail Hour at RAW. ***

Real Ride VII - Take me to the River.  Saturday, July 6th.  Meet at Real Art Ways.  Bike Decorating at 6PM.  Ride leaves at 8PM.  Fireworks at 9PM.

The ride will leave from Real Art Ways on Arbor Street and wend its way down to the Connecticut River in time to watch the fireworks.  After the fireworks finish, the group will ride back.  Note that this ride will be on city streets, and there will be traffic.  On the return trip the roads will be chock full of stop and go traffic.  That said, the bikes are a much more efficient (both space and fuel) way to get to the fireworks.

It's a leisurely 8-10 mile ride round trip.  Bring your lights, more is better.  Some folks are basically mobile Christmas trees, or more seasonally, battery powered firework displays.  There will be music, or bring your own.

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Are you ready to get out and ride (greater) Hartford?

Open letter to folks that like to have fun,

Get off your ass and ride both these great events in Hartford happening within a week of each other.  Tell your friends, co-workers, and perfect strangers that they are total dorks if they don't show.  Hartford's bike culture is rising like ocean sea levels - started slowly, but now we're picking up speed.  Watch out for bike flooding in low lying areas.

Real Ride - Riding Around a Tree - Saturday, September 22nd.  

• There will be three sound systems (think boom box times 10) blasting tunes from bike trailers.  Front, middle, and tail of the group.  An upgrade over previous rides.
• Meet at Real Art Ways (56 Arbor Street, Hartford) to fancy up your bicycle. Cover yourself with things that glow and blink. We ride once the sun has set. Light up the night on this guided bike party through Greater Hartford.  We all leave together, pause a few times to regroup and finish at Real Art Ways for snacks, sips and tunes. 
• Highlighting this ride: Adam Niklewicz 's "Walking Around a Tree" projection will make its debut on Saturday, September 22 on the facade of the AT&T building downtown. "Walking Around A Tree," along with the sculpture/installation "The Charter Oak" on 215 Pearl Street, is a collaborative effort between the artist, the City of Hartford, The Wadsworth Atheneum and Real Art Ways. 
• The ride is FREE. Refreshments and light-up accessories will be available at the cafe for purchase.

Discover Hartford Bicycle Tour - Saturday, September 29th (NEW ROUTES)

• Family-friendly, leisurely ride to discover Hartford's neighborhoods, parks and architectural and cultural gems.  Choose from 10-,  25-, or 40-mile routes.  Registration / check in begins at 7AM in Bushnell Park and the rides leave at 9AM.
• Online Registration is open.  $30 for Bike Walk CT members and $40 for non-members.   Online registration ends on September 27th, and goes up to $45 for everyone day of the event.  
• Proceeds benefit Bike Walk CT, the organization making you safer with the 3-foot law and vulnerable user legislation.  Bike Walk CT gets more bike commuters on the road with the very successful Bike to Work events.  You can learn how to ride the streets safely with their Traffic Skills 101 course.
• Volunteers are still needed.  You can sign up online.
• Spread the word by inviting your bike loving (or bike curious) friends to the event on Facebook.

See you out there.

Tony C

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