Northeast News
April 11, 2012

Kessler Park will be flashing back to the past this weekend as area residents show off their tweed and late 19th Century period clothing.

It’s all part of the “Kansas City Tweed Ride Velocipede and Tweed Indeed!” which will be held this Saturday at 10 a.m. at Kessler Park’s Cliff Drive. Attendees are asked to gather at the Colonnade, St. John Avenue and Gladstone Boulevard, at 10 a.m. with the bicycle ride commencing at 11 a.m.

The five-mile leisurely bicycle ride will take attendees along Cliff Drive and through some of Kansas City’s oldest and most historic neighborhoods.

Brothers Mark and David Rainey, who own Groody Bros. Bicycle Restoration Project, concocted the tweed ride several years ago as a way to reflect the “golden age” of bicycles.

Both antique and modern bicycles are welcome and attendees are encouraged to wear late 19th Century and early 20th Century period clothing, which includes tweeds, wools, silks and argyles. No spandex. Prizes will be awarded to riders and their bicycles based on appearance, authenticity, creativity and originality.

Participants are also encouraged to bring a picnic to munch on at the designated stop along the route.