Clear Lake to hold Bicycle, Blues & BBQ Fest in July

Wed March 09 2005
Posted Mar 8, 2005
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By PEGGY SENZARINO, Of The Globe Gazette CLEAR LAKE — A new festival celebrating the beauty of Clear Lake comes to town this July. The Bicycle, Blues & BBQ Festival will be held around City Park on Saturday and Sunday, July 9-10. "It's still in the planning stages," said organizer Casey Martin of Clear Lake. Saturday's festivities will begin with Chris Cakes serving flapjacks from 7 to 10:30 a.m. That will be followed by recreational bike rides of anywhere from 15 to 65 miles for riders of all ages. Barbecue will be served in the park from noon to about 5:30 p.m. Martin said organizers are hoping to have two different blues bands play in the park Saturday before the Clear Lake Municipal Band takes the stage for its normal Saturday night concert. Sunday will feature United States Cycling Federation-sanctioned races with a total purse for the winners of $3,000. The festival is a fund-raiser for the Cerro Gordo Trails project. The group is working to acquire permission to run a bicycle trail through land around Clear Lake.

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"We are using it to help promote the trails that we are getting ready to hopefully finish this spring," Martin said. "Clear Lake is an easy place to get people to come to. I think it's going to be a wonderful weekend. During the time in the park, there are going to be things for kids like a bicycle rodeo, bike safety inspections. It will be a very family-oriented event." Laurie Lietz, tourism director for the Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, said a new summer event on the heels of the annual Fourth of July celebration is very exciting. "That is such a great weekend. That weekend has been open with no events for as long as I can remember," Lietz said. "It's such a unique event and with so many people interested in bicycling, I think it is going to be so exciting." Organizers are continuing to firm up the schedule, Martin said. Reach Peggy Senzarino at 421-0532 or peggy.senzarino@globegazette.com.