At
last count, more than 900 bicycle riders were registered for
the Bike Ride Across North Carolina which begins this Sunday,
October 3 in the mountains in Sparta and ends Saturday, October
9th in Oriental. More are expected to register - as many as
1200 bicyclists could end up riding in to town.
We looked
through all the TownDock.net "file photos" for something
that would look like all those visiting bicyclists. The closest
we could find was this picture of about 40 bicyclists at the
bike parade following Tim Rogers and Janet Alexander's wedding
last year. So....just add about a thousand extra folks in your
mind. It will look just like that.
Some of
the riders are from Oriental. They include Russ Stewart and
John LaGuardia, who will ride the entire mountains to the sea
route. Look for their updates from the road, here at TownDock.net.
For the rest of us, though, the big day is Saturday October
9th. Here are some details on what to expect.
For one, you may want to avoid driving on Hodges Street. All
the businesses there will be open, but in the afternoon, chances
are the streets will be crowded from time to time with bicyclists
approaching the finish, which is at Lou Mac Park.
Coming In Off the Bridge
The cyclists will be coasting in to town via the bridge over
Smith Creek. (That way they can take the scenic route past Dawson’s
Creek with the water on both sides of the road. ) If all goes
according to plan, most of the bicyclists should be arriving
between 1 and 3pm.
Some will be leaving town immediately, but in a departure from
past Cycle North Carolina events, many of the cyclists will
be staying overnight at this, their last stop.
Shrimp Dinner For The Bicyclists
The Rotary Club will be providing a shrimp dinner on the front
lawn of the Neuse River Motel from 1 to 3pm. There will be some
acoustic music and some rather big door prizes for the bicyclists:
sailing lesson from Oriental School of Sailing, kayak trips
with Pirate Queen Paddling, prizes from Paddle Pamlico, Croakertown,
Carolina Girl, The Bean, Healthy Dragon and more.
Running Of the Dragon - Volunteers
Needed
In order to give the visiting bicyclists a taste of Oriental,
the dragon will be making an appearance, running through the
waterfront areas at 7pm on that Saturday night, October 9th.
 |
In order
for the dragon to do so, he(she?) will need some assistance.
This is a call for volunteers; if you have run the dragon thru
the streets of Oriental before please call: 249-2040 And for
everyone else of course, please come on down to the usual Dragon
Run route along Hodges Street with your pots and pans and kitchen
counter noisemakers.
A Request: No Free-Roaming Dogs on Saturday Afternoon
While Oriental wants to give the bicyclists an authentic taste
of town, there is one aspect of life in Oriental that will require
some tweaking as the bicyclists arrive: our free-roaming dogs.
As much as the dogs are part of the character of Oriental, they
could cause havoc when the bicyclists arrive. Those of us who
live here know to swerve out of the way to avoid a dog when
we’re biking to avoid a dog. But these Bike Across NC
bicyclists could be traveling in tight packs making it hard
to maneuver out of the way. And if one biker goes down, chances
are many others will too.
So, take a tip fromTownDock’s chief canine. She suggests
that all dogs in town take a well-deserved break from the rigors
of providing character to town, and that they stay inside (or
on a leash) between 1pm and 5pm Saturday .
Stores and businesses staying
open later
With as many as a thousand more people in town Saturday night,
most stores in Oriental will be staying open later than usual.
Circle Ten Art Gallery will be open til 8pm as will Croakertown,
Mike and Kathy’s Bakery and the Healthy Dragon. The kayak
stores, Paddle Pamlico and Pirate Queeen Paddling will be open
til 9 (for those bikers who may be interested in a sport that
gives a work out to the upper body.)
Marsha’s Cottage is hosting an art works display by Ashton
Whipple, Lucille Truitt and others on Saturday and Sunday. The
Bean will be open til 10p on Saturday. The Tiki Bar will have
a band playing blues. And on Sunday, Ms Sil’s Restaurant
will be open for breakfast.
Many Campers, But Rooms Still
Needed
Many of the cyclists will be camping overnight, pitching tents
at Lou Mac Park and on Dot Tingle’s front lawn across
Mildred Street from the Neuse River Motel. If anyone in town
has a room where they can put up a bicyclist or two, please
call Glenda at Sail Loft Realty 249-1787. Some folks in town
have already called to say they would provide a room free of
charge.
And in our neverending quest to hear more acoustic music in
town, we encourage musicians to come out Saturday afternoon,
find a good corner, and play.
