Abby Hoover
Managing Editor

The Missouri Active Outdoors Foundation and Elmwood Cemetery invited families to join them for the first annual Elmwood Bike Rodeo on Saturday at the cemetery, 4900 Truman Rd.

The event promoted bicycle safety and education for children and families. The rodeo offered a variety of activities such as bike inspections, helmet fittings, and obstacle courses designed to teach kids how to properly handle and maintain their bicycles. There were also speakers on bike laws and safe riding practices.

The goal of the Elmwood Bike Rodeo was to promote cycling as a fun and healthy mode of transportation while also educating participants on how to ride safely. It offered them a chance to learn about, and connect with, community organizations and services like the Kansas City Public Library and health department, Aim4Peace and others.

The Missouri Active Outdoors Foundation, most commonly known as MoBikeFed, is a non-profit advocacy organization focused on introducing the joys of outdoor activity as a means of creating healthy families and engaged communities in our state. MoBikeFed has advocated for years to improve the walkability of both urban and rural communities while simultaneously assisting in the implementation of complete street plans, trail creation, bicycling education in schools and active transportation legislation in Missouri.

To kick off National Bike Month, MoBikeFed teamed up with the historic Elmwood Cemetery and Revolve KC to give away 150 bikes and helmets to children ages 6-12.

Held at the historic Elmwood Cemetery, the gently curving roadways make for the perfect route for young and old, alike. Families enjoyed a scenic ride on a closed, paved road with no vehicle traffic.

Elmwood stands as one of the oldest cemeteries in Kansas City and has made it a mission of theirs to create a well cultivated green space for its community. Children and families attending the event had the opportunity to visit a variety of vendor booths focused on health, wellness, interactive learning, and children’s recreation. The first 150 children ages 6-12 were personally fit for their new bike and helmet, introduced to bicycling safety, and led on a closed-circuit bike ride in Elmwood.

Attendees were also encouraged to participate in educational activities and health screenings provided by community partners. Vendors included Big Brothers Big Sisters, Mattie Rhodes Center, Children’s Mercy Hospital, Aim4Peace, KC Bike Law, KCMO Public Libraries, University Health Mobile Market (distributing 100 bags of free groceries), Lakeside Nature Center and KC Scholars.

Attendees were encouraged to bring their own bikes and participate in any number of bike safety classes or decorate their bikes.

A free picnic lunch was provided, and Wonderscope, The Kansas City Zoo, and Union Station Planetarium & Science City all generously provided season passes to be given away at the event.