Parents and children celebrate biker safety at Let's Ride event


The City of Mount Pleasant teamed up with the Mount Pleasant Police Department and the Mount Pleasant Optimist Club on Thursday to host an event titled Let's Ride, which encouraged children and their parents to practice bike safety. 

Let's Ride was the second event in the ten-week series organized by the City of Mount Pleasant titled Thrilling Thursdays. Sponsored in part by the Isabella Community Credit Union, Thrilling Thursdays is meant to encourage Mount Pleasant residents to interact with the community and be active over the summer.

The event was held in the Town Center park on the corner of Main and Broadway streets. A nearby section of Main Street was cordoned off for the event, being used as a skills course for children to ride their bikes with helmets and decorations they got at the event. 

Aimed towards children who are just learning the basics of bike riding, the event had multiple purposes, said Melinda Salchert, special events coordinator for the City of Mount Pleasant. The MPPD was in attendence to help children register their bikes to protect them against theft. Children were also encouraged to decorate their bikes at an arts and crafts station. 

The Mount Pleasant Optimist Club was at the event, giving out free helmets, as well as holding a raffle to give away five bikes, three of which had been donated by the Humane Animal Treatment Society. The Optimist Club is the local chapter of Optimist International, a philanthropic organization aimed towards helping children on a community level.

"This (event) is mainly about getting the kids and practicing safety with their helmets and equipment," said Heather Graham, treasurer for the Mount Pleasant Optimist Club.

Graham says that the Optimists Club gave away over 72 helmets to children during the event.

Mount Pleasant resident Adrian Mitchell enjoyed the event, bringing her three children after hearing about it on Facebook.

"I like that they gave away helmets for kids who might not have had them," Mitchell said. "I really like it. I think it was a lot of fun, and I can't believe more people don't come down to do things like this."

For the third week of Thrilling Thursdays, the City of Mount Pleasant will be hosting a scavenger hunt in the Downtown area.

The full schedule for the Thrilling Thursdays series is as follows:

  • June 29: Scavenger Hunt
  • July 6: Bugs R Us
  • July 13: Fun with Vegetables
  • July 20: Mad Science Fair
  • July 27: Superhero and Princess Extravaganza
  • August 3: Stepping Stones
  • August 10: Urban Printmaking
  • August 17: Supersoaker Festivus

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