Community Ed Bike Rodeo focuses on learning, safety

About 25 children attended the Waseca Community Education Bike Rodeo at the Waseca County  fairgrounds during the late afternoon of Thursday, May 7. With the supervision and guidance of local police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel, children had the chance to learn safety procedures to follow while riding their bicycles. The first 25 children who did not have bike helmets received them for free, courtesy of Walmart and Scheel’s. Four donated bicycles were also given away as prizes. Extra bikes were on site for use by children who didn’t have one.

 

With nearly perfect weather, the mood of the event was festive. There was music playing, courtesy of “Airraid,” and DJ Gary Palm. A big gas grill was used to cook free hot dogs for the crowd. The hotdogs, cookies and condiments were donated to the event by the Owatonna Hy-Vee.  Courtney Hartle, Waseca Police Detective and organizer for the rodeo, mingled among the parents and children in attendance.

 

Officer Jarret Imlay was near his police vehicle letting children see the inside. He commented, “We’re here today for the bike rodeo. I like the event because it gives kids a chance to see what the rights and wrongs are for biking on the road.” Another important benefit, he said was for the children to interact with public safety workers so they can learn. “those are the good guys.” 

 

“Children can also see inside an ambulance and fire truck, talk to firefighters and first responders, maybe learn something, or maybe we might just get another public servant out of them when they grow up.”

 

The model training areas included a pedestrian crossing, a 4-way intersection, and a street. Areas were represented using orange cones and chalk-line street borders; tennis balls cut to sit flat were used as obstacles. Officers directed children in the proper way to cross. Continued Imlay, “Yes, children on sidewalks is technically illegal, but do we want children out on busy roads? Do we want that bad interaction with the police when they try to correct the kids? But before we even get there, a lot of this is just teaching kids safety first. If we take that educational approach, it’s so much more beneficial. Even if it’s just the basic training, we’ve all heard, ‘Look both ways before you cross the street.’ We just need them to pay attention!”