It was supposed to be just a regular Saturday morning running the Valet Bike Parking at the Farmers' Market in City Hall Park. Until I got the email from Wayne. Wayne is my friend from Montreal, who used to live in Burlington but abandoned us for "La vie francaise" north of the border.

Over the Labor Day weekend, events- both business and pleasure- conspired to take me to of all places, Bangor, Maine. As usually happens, I find myself drawn to libraries and this trip was no exception, ending up at the Bangor Public Library on a Friday afternoon. In amongst the other bibliophiles and bohemians, I chanced upon a bicyclist who had stopped to avail himself of the sanitary opportunities that a library provides. His bicycle was burdened down with panniers both fore and aft and yet he seemed to enjoy the extra ballast. He was of average height and average build, dressed in average clothes, but with an enthusiasm that tipped into above run-of-the-mill average. We struck up a conversation and it wasn’t long before I learned he was on his way back to Boston from an excursion to Bar Harbor by bike. He was a bit circumspect about his current itinerary, but felt he’d find his way home in a week or so.

And so I thought of him as a boy on the Bummel...

Not even a cold rainy day could stop a crew of cyclists from attending the Lake Monsters baseball game FOR FREE this past Sunday. Local Motion provided valet bike parking and safety tips, while a slew of other local organizations offered free helmets, bike check-ups, and escorted bike trains. The grand total of bikes checked into valet parking? An impressive showing of over sixty bikes! 

June 18 was a great day for Valet Bike Parking at the Farmers’ Market. Warm and clear skies augured well for a good turnout- how could you not bicycle to the marché on such a glorious day? Although only one volunteer, Katherine, had signed up by Friday, we had another volunteer, Paul, show up and report for duty. Armed with a stapler stuffed in his cargo pants pocket he leapt into service at the mere sight of two wheels...

On the Friday night of Father’s Day weekend-- a warm, sunny evening that is typical of Vermont summers-- walkers and bikers of all ages and experience levels congregated outside of Onion River Sports in Montpelier. The group had formed through the collaborative efforts of Local Motion and Montpelier Bicycle Advisory committee to do two things: bike to the ballgame, and lead by example to make Montpelier better by bike.

Last Wednesday was the inaugural “Beach Bites” Food Truck event, a gustatory celebration that will be happening the first Wednesday of every month through September at Leddy Park-right behind the arena, looking out over a placid Lake Champlain. I know the Truck Stop Friday Night at Arts Riot is crazy, but how busy could a similar event in the New North End be, especially in the middle of the week...