Local non-profit hosts Bike prom to raise funds

Local non-profit hosts Bike prom to raise funds

(Anna Day)


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SALT LAKE CITY — On Saturday, locals will have the chance to resurrect the bright pink taffeta and top hats from their closets as they participate in the fifth annual Bike Prom.

A social endeavor and fund-raising event for the non-profit Bicycle Collective, Bike Prom will include a pre-ride open to the public and a prom for those 21 and older, according to event coordinator and Bicycle Collective volunteer Jace Burbidge.

The pre-ride will start at 6 p.m. at the northeast corner of Liberty Park. Participants will bring or rent their bikes for the slow-paced ride from the park to Pierpont Place, where the prom will be held, Burbidge said.

During the ride, mobile sound systems come to provide music for a 10-minute dance party at Library Square, Burbidge said.

Participants ride a variety of bikes and are encouraged to come as ridiculous or as fancy as they want, wearing things like top hats, tiaras and their best prom attire from whatever generation they are a part of if they desire, Burbidge said.

Because of the large size of the event, a police escort and EMTs will escort participants through the park to ensure safety.

At 8 p.m., participants will gather at Pierpont Place for the prom, which will include music provided by two DJs, professional couple and group prom photos taken on a tandem bike, light hor d'oeuvres, a silent auction with fancy bikes that have been donated to the Bicycle Collective, gift certificates to a local businesses, food trucks and a demonstration by Beehive Bike Polo.

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A bike valet will be provided for participants to ensure the safety of their bikes.

Tickets for the prom are $20 online and $30 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at the Bike Prom website.

Bicycle Collective, a social growth and community building program, has a sole purpose of getting people on bikes. The program sells bikes to the community, works with community and charitable organizations to provide goodwill programs for refugees, those living in low-income households, drug rehabilitation patients and provides kids bike classes among other things.

The purpose of the Bike Prom is to fundraise for the Bicycle Collective and to create an opportunity for those involved in the Bicycle Collective and the community to get to know each other, Burbidge said.

Last year, funds from the Bike Prom enabled Bicycle Collective to expand its services to five days a week for its open-to-the-public shop. This year, they hope to raise similar funds to add a mechanic for the shop and a general manager, which would “allow us to serve more of the public coming in and continue to grow in that capacity,” Burbidge said.

Burbidge said the Bike Prom has grown every year. This year, they chose a venue that would hold 800 people, doubling the size from last year.

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Megan Marsden Christensen

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