San Francisco residents rejoice, for there are many exciting family biking events to attend as the weather clears up for fall. This week is a two-fer.
First, on Friday, September 28th, San Francisco families (or anyone who can make it here!) can join the city’s first-ever Kidical Mass ride, organized by the cheerful folks at sfbikingfamilies on Yahoo.
Rolling out with the Portland Kidical Mass crew. After six days in the high 90s to low 100s, it rained for the ride just as everyone headed to the ice cream stand. Surely we can do better than this.
From the Kidical Mass website: “The birthplace of Critical Mass, is holding our first Kidical Mass ride! Kidical Mass will be a contingent within the 20th Anniversary Critical Mass ride. Meet between 5:45 and 6pm, 9/28/12 at the SE corner of the big fountain in Justin Herman Plaza, where the fountain is closest to the grass. http://goo.gl/maps/0C3Ur . The plan is to peel off to end at Dolores Park around 6:45pm for an after-ride picnic.” The Hum of the city crew will be there for our own second Kidical Mass—we hit Portland’s party-rific afternoon ride in August.
Second, on Saturday, September 29th, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is hosting its 6th annual Family Day Celebration from 10am-2pm in Golden Gate Park, off JFK Drive at the 14th Avenue E picnic area (north of Stow Lake and east of the Transverse Drive overpass). Interested families can register online to get information about bike trains to the event and sign up for classes. We will be arriving late due to a critical ballet class, but will nonetheless be there in time for the 11:30am Family Biking Showcase, designed for those who are still on the fence about which rig might best suit their needs. Check out how to can carry multiple kids and fear no San Francisco hills! For those who have bikes already, the closing Family Bike Parade starts at 1:30pm.
Here’s part of the lineup at Portland’s Cargo Bike Roll Call. I’m assuming a similar scene in Fairfax.
Two weeks later, up in Fairfax, cargo bike enthusiasts can attend the Marin Biketoberfest’s Cargo Bike Jubilee. The event is on Saturday, October 13th, from 11am-6pm at the Fair/Anselm Plaza. Last year’s Jubilee included a bike art table, bike parade, bouncy house, and kid bike skills course, as well as the predictable display of cargo bikes. Attendees will include Splendid Cycles, traveling down the coast from Portland. We are unlikely to make it to the Jubilee because Matt will have just returned from Brazil. However our new cargo bike, a Bullitt Bluebird ’71 (“it’s superfly”), will be in attendance, so visitors can see it even before we do! Splendid Cycles offered to ship the bike to us in mid- to late-September, but given that they were planning to be here anyway in October, I chose the “free-to-me shipping because Joel and Barb are driving down anyway” option. Because our bike is occupying a space on their travel rack, it must pay its passage by spending a day entertaining the masses. I am already envying those will catch the first look.
Ride on, families!
Hum of the city 