Porch Press, July 2004

Brownwood Bike Rally Rides Again!

By Jill Sieder

Kids and adults had a blast biking in and around Brownwood Park at the 2nd-annual Brownwood Bike Rally on June 12. The rally included 15 heats of racing on the streets around the park and a bike rodeo on the tennis courts, where kids got to test bike agility and effective cycling skills.

The top kid finishers at the rally were Emmanuel Morton, 11, and Kierra Edge, 6. Both received brand new bikes (provided by the Square Hat Social Club) and trophies. The overall winner of the bike rodeo was Molly Bellomy, 5. The winning adult racers were Lauren George and Andrew Guthrie, who won the 1- and 3-mile races, respectively.

Prizes for children included bikes, bike parts and accessories, and other athletic gear. Prizes for adults included gift certificates and gear from Outback Bikes. The event was a fundraiser for the East Atlanta Kids Club, an after-school mentoring program for promising youth ages 7 to 13 based at Brownwood Park Recreation Center.

The kids club sold raffle tickets to support the rally and the club. The grand prize this year was two round-trip business class tickets from AirTran Airlines. Orinthia Collins was the lucky winner. Others won gift certificates to Iris, Heaping Bowl & Brew, Australian Bakery Café, Park Pet Supply, Joe's Coffee, East Atlanta Art & Antiques Bazaar, Tinga Tinga, Vegan Vegetarian, Lowe's and COREBODY Decatur.

Major sponsors of the rally were Jim Hilliard Re/Max, Equity Houses, LLC and Nelson, Mullins, Riley & Scarborough. Other key sponsors were AirTran Airlines, Atlanta Bicycle Campaign, Bicycles Unlimited, COREBODY Decatur, East Atlanta Copy Center, East Atlanta Community Association, Kroger, Metro Atlanta Cycling Club, Optimists Club of Atlanta, Outback Bikes, Square Hat Social Club, Publix, and Walker's Printing.

If you would like to learn more about the East Atlanta Kids Club, contact Executive Director Jill Sieder, jsieder@mindspring.com, at 404.635.0795, or Program Director Kevin Banks, kbanks@risg.com, at 404.627.8050, or visit www.eastatlantakids.org.