The “Bicycle Man,” Larry Pelkey, Mayor Buckley, Alderman Morey, and county legislator Paul Van Caeseele join the community bike ride
From the Hornell Public Library,
The Hornell Public Library has been working hard all summer to create opportunities for the community to come together and celebrate in the spirit of “All Together Now”. One recent event in particular, a Community Bike Ride, was a great success that came from much preparation and care by the library’s director Denise Chilson and the Hornell Police Department’s Captain Mike Sexsmith.
The Inspiration Behind the Idea
The Community Bike Ride, which took place on August 16th, was first inspired by bicycle giveaways the library hosted in March and April with the help of Larry Pelkey and the Hornell Police Department. Larry Pelkey, known as the “Bicycle Man’, is dedicated to giving back to his community and has been collecting, repairing, and giving kids bicycles for free in Hornell since 2021. The police department held bike safety presentations for the bicycle giveaways as well. Larry and Denise began discussing other potential bike programs the library could offer, and Larry shared the story of a “bike bus” in Oregon where students ride their bikes to school together one day out of the week. The conversation then shifted to the idea of having a weekly community bike ride that would tie into the 2023 Summer Reading Program theme of “All Together Now”. From there, Denise reached out to Captain Mike Sexsmith of the Hornell Police Department to share the idea and they met several times to bring Denise’s vision to life. It became clear that planning a weekly bike ride for the whole summer without first testing it out would not be ideal, so the library and police department came up with two bike events for August: a bike safety program and the Community Bike Ride. The library and police department collaborated to discuss plans for creating the route and determining safety measures including how many police officers would be needed to assist. They also talked about the need to provide a quick safety lesson to avoid any accidents when biking in a larger group. The bike safety program, Rules of the Road for Beginning Cyclists: Ages 5 to 10, had kids practice riding between cones at a slow pace, practice hand signals, learn what to look for when they are on their bikes, as well as how to properly adjust their helmets. It was a positive experience for everyone who attended and allowed for two participants who previously did not own helmets to receive free ones from the Hornell Police Department.
The Community Bike Ride
The weather was perfect on the evening of the event. The ride started at the Hornell Public Library, headed to Shawmut Park, and ended back at the library. A diverse group of community members participated including Denise, Board of Trustees President Garrett McGowan, and two library staff members. There were several government officials present including Mayor John Buckley and his family, Alderman Mike Morey of the 4th Ward, and Steuben County Legislator Paul Van Caeseele. Captain Mike Sexsmith and Sergeant Todd Giglio rode on the bike patrol bicycles and Officer Tim Thurston drove the police car to help keep the group safe. Friends of the Hornell Public Library also showed their support by offering refreshments at the halfway point at Shawmut Park. Several participants rode on bikes that were donated by Larry Pelkey or wore helmets offered by the Hornell Police Department. There was even a bicyclist riding a recumbent bicycle and another determined young bicyclist who had training wheels!
It was a wonderful experience for everyone and the library is excited to host another Community Bike Ride soon: “Since this event was so successful and so much fun, we would like to plan for another Community Bike Ride. If you would like to participate, please call the library at 607-324-1210, email us at hornellpubliclibrary@gmail.com, or send us a message through Facebook messenger to let us know so we can start planning!” – Denise Chilson, Library Director.
Denise and the library’s staff members are extremely grateful for the support shown by the Hornell Police Department, Larry Pelkey, Friends of the Hornell Public Library, and all of the community members who showed up for both bike events. Now that the library’s summer reading program has ended, they look forward to hearing from the community about future programs you want to see at the library during this fall and winter.
The Hornell Public Library is located at 64 Genesee St, Hornell, NY. The library’s open hours are Monday 12:00 PM – 7:00 PM, Tuesday 12:00 PM – 7:00 PM, Wednesday 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM, Thursday 12:00 PM – 7:00 PM, Friday 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM, and Saturday 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram and visit their website to keep up with the latest news on programs and services.
