For example, Luke Warm and the Cool Hands rode their bicycles to the Ritz Theater from Saint Louis Park. Audra Tracy rides daily, averaging 25 miles each morning. And Glen Everhart shares a car with his 16-year-old son and each year sets a goal of riding 3,000 miles! 

At the end of the showcase, emcee Michael Rainville, partnership marketing manager for Meet Minneapolis, brought Hilary Reeves of Bike Walk Twin Cities on stage to announce the winner of the contest. After much debate, the judges decided on a tie between Luke Warm and the Cool Hands and Glen Everhart! See both performances here:

The jug band and the interactive musician/comedian will both have their jingles played on Cities 97 and other stations this summer and will split the prizes:

• Studio recording time from The Art Institutes International (Luke Warm and the Cool Hands)
• $500 gift card to Music Connection (shared)
• A new Sun Revolutions CB-26 bicycle from Behind Bars Bicycle Shop (Glen Everhart)

Congratulations to the winners, and a big thanks to everyone who entered the contest!

Winner Luke Warm and the Cool Hands

Winner Glen Everhart

Finalist Audra Tracy

Finalist The Jing Jings!

Finalist Michael Loonan

Hilary Reeves announcing the winners

Name: Janet Marvin
Occupation: Current: Program Director for Herb Brooks Foundation; Past: Folwell Center for Urban Initiatives – City Kids
Neighborhood: Lind-Bohanon

You’re an advocate for getting more kids in North Minneapolis to bike. Why is this important to you?
Bicycling is a great way to stay healthy and enjoy the outdoors. Minneapolis has great bike trails. Bikes provide transportation for youth to get to destinations like church, school, parks and local stores.

How do you and the Folwell Center for Urban Initiatives and the Webber-Camden Neighborhood encourage biking—especially among youths?

The Folwell Center for Urban Initiatives (FCUI) created Bike Fest as part of its City Kids initiative; that program was then adopted by the Webber-Camden Neighborhood as a primary event in 2010 and 2011. The Pohlad Family Foundation supported the 2011 Bike Fests and delivered bike programming in six events across the northside from May to August. These events served more than 1,000 people, primarily youth, and included bike giveaways, helmet safety with 1,000 helmets donated by the American Academy of Neurology, bike maintenance and repair.

What was your role in the summer of 2011 Bike Fests?

My role was to coordinate the events; bringing together volunteer mechanics at the host site, organizing activities and volunteers.

What were some of the goals in organizing an event like this?

The Bike Fest event was started seven years ago through the Folwell Neighborhood Association (FNA) office. North Minneapolis did not have a bike shop or a place where families could take bikes and get basic repairs done. We thought it would be a great idea if together with FNA, PAL (Police Activities League) and the Minneapolis Parks, we could offer a solution to some of the bike issues. Since then, it has grown from doing events at three sites to doing six sites this past summer. This past summer, The American Academy of Neurology donated 1,000 helmets to be fitted and given away. The Bike/Walk Ambassador organization came in and set up the safety course at the events. The Pohlad Family Foundation helped with buying new supplies to fix the bikes and also provided hot dogs at the events.

What kinds of activities were offered at the Bike Fest?

Bike Fest is a family event with some of the activities focused for 6- to 12-year-old girls and boys. They register for a chance to win a new bike; there are two brand new bikes raffled off at each event. Then we also raffle off used bikes that have been donated and repaired. At the registration table the kids get a “punch card” with activities on it. Once they complete the punch card they will get a gift bag. The gift bag typically contains a water bottle, lock, stickers, etc. At the Bike Fest there are six to eight activities for the kids to participate in: repair a flat tube, ride the safety course, get fitted for a new helmet, get a free basic tune-up, ride a high-wheeler, ride a unicycle, brain injury simulation station.

What’s one piece of advice you would give a youth if they were looking to ride a bike more frequently?

Wear a helmet. Lock your bike when you are not riding it! Ride safe and enjoy the trails we have; we are so blessed to have such a great trail system.

The Carl W. Kroening Interpretive Center, located in North Mississippi Regional Park.

The bike trails in North Minneapolis are a gateway to a number of neighborhood landmarks, parks and community gathering spots. We’ve rounded up a few of those spots to start with – pick one, or hit all of them in a day on your bike. Great way to get out and see the neighborhood in a new way.

Victory Memorial

The Victory Memorial district covers the northwest loop of the Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway and honors soldiers of World War I. At 3.8 miles, it’s recognized as the largest war memorial in the Twin Cities – a historic and tree-lined ride.  No shortage of scenery here.

The Warren – An Artist Habitat

In addition to featuring local artists, The Warren also hosts community events and is home to the Workhouse Theatre. Keep an eye on its Facebook page for announcements about upcoming events. Hours vary (open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; closed Tuesdays), so be sure to check the schedule or call ahead on weekends.

Webber Park

Tennis courts, a playground, a pond, a library – take your pick of activities at the 22-acre Webber Park.  A fixture in north Minneapolis for years.

Carl W. Kroening Interpretive Center

Located in North Mississippi Regional Park, the Carl W. Kroening Interpretive Center is filled with information and displays on nature, recreation and transportation including a wall of maps and a virtual ride aboard of ’73 Barracuda that will help you better understand what the development of I-94 meant to the community. Oh, and you can also hunt for features of the building that are made out of sunflower seed shells, wheat and recycled plastic.

If you’re a north Minneapolis resident, or you bike in the area regularly, what other destinations would you add to this list?