CWU joins community partners to celebrate Ellensburg Bike Month

Central Washington University is joining the City of Ellensburg and more than a dozen other community partners to celebrate National Bike Month throughout the month of May.

Starting this Friday, community members are encouraged to ride to work, school, or worship over the next month and then attend the Ellensburg Bike Month celebration at Unity Park on Saturday, May 30, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Participants can also enter the month-long photo contest by posting photos of your bike ride on Facebook or Instagram and tagging the City of Ellensburg and including #EllensburgBikeMonth in your caption. The contest is open to Kittitas County residents 18 years or older with public social media profiles. Full contest rules are available online.

In addition, a month-long bike ride raffle will be held from May 1-29. To enter, download the free Adventure Lab app and set up an account. Participate in any of the Ellensburg Bike Month ride and earn one raffle ticket per ride (10 total). Please note that each participant must have their own account.

Pick up your raffle tickets at the Bicycle Event at Unity Park on May 30 or stop by the Kittitas County Chamber of Commerce Information Center during the month of May. Raffle prizes include a Catrike Recumbent Trike, a car rack, a $125 Recycle Shop gift card, a $50 Recycle Shop gift card, Ellensburg mural swag from the Ellensburg Downtown Association, and a free admission pass to Kittitas Valley Memorial Pool.

The May 30 Bike Month celebration at Unity Park (4th Avenue and Pearl Street) will feature free youth helmets and fitting, bike bell and bike light giveaways, safety resources, and local trail information. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) will be giving away free, used reconditioned bikes (sizes vary). Anyone interested can also bring their old bike tubes for recycling and donate their spare bike parts.

Another attraction is the youth Bike Rodeo, which invites kids to bring their bikes and helmets to the event and learn bike-handling skills.

Joining CWU and the City of Ellensburg in their support of Ellensburg Bike Month are Kittitas Valley Healthcare, Kittitas County Public Health Department, Ellensburg School District, Kittitas County Chamber of Commerce, APOYO, League of Women Voters of Kittitas County, The Recycle Shop, Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance, Ellensburg Downtown Association, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Central Washington Disability Resources, Ellensburg Central Transit, Washington State Parks, Ellensburg Morning Rotary Club, Ellensburg Noon Rotary Club, Ellensburg Environmental Commission, and Kittitas Valley Ministerial Association.