Messy-mouthed barbecue eating contests and soulful blues bands are no longer the only attractions of the popular Roots ’N Blues ’N BBQ Festival. Centered on family fun and, of course, blues music, this year’s festival is making strides to combine the two with an entirely new focus: sustainability. The result? Roots’N’Ride.
“The Roots’N’Ride is just a bike parade, but it finishes right at the start time of the kick off for the entire festival,” spokeswoman Alexis Lucente says. “It’s kind of like an opening ceremony to the festival weekend and all the stages will be set up and everything will be coming to life downtown. Friday is the first day, and this will be the kick-starter.”
Powered by a cornucopia of wheels and feet — whether that be by bike, roller skate, skateboard, scooter or simply gliding along on any other wheeled device — the parade morphs going green into an all-afternoon extravaganza. Those with a competitive side can compete in events like most decorative bike and most decorative bike helmet to win prizes.
“They’re going to have a bunch of supplies like streamers, balloons and ribbons,” Lucente says. “We’re basically just encouraging the public to come out, bring their bikes, their helmets, their scooters, anything with wheels and decorate it. Then we’ll walk in a little parade downtown and that will kick start the festival weekend.”
Cruiser bike and brewing company New Belgium will announce contest winners and present prizes. Winners will lead the bike parade, which departs from the corner of Ninth and Elm streets by Shakespeare’s Pizza at 4:30 p.m. Friday.
“It will be really exciting, especially for the little kids,” Lucente says. “I’m just really hoping to get a lot of families out there. I know it’s something that kids may enjoy. It’s a really great event and helps out with not only promoting physical activity but also promoting biking rather than driving in cars. It’s a great family-friendly activity on top of it all.”
Not only is Roots’N’Ride a sure draw for families, but it’s also a free, fun attraction to jumpstart the music festival for college students as well.
“On the weekends, we usually sleep all day, to be honest,” freshman Maria Kernychny says. “As students, we walk around to classes, but this gives us a good reason to walk because it enforces sustainability. We also get to go to a music festival, so it’s cheap transportation. It’s a really good idea to have a festival that doesn’t cost a lot that is so near and promotes something that people should be learning about anyway.”
The forecasted mild weather, a respite after the heat wave, is another factor drawing college students out of their dorms and out to the community-wide event.
“I’m just happy it’s not as hot,” freshman Emily Behn said. “I think walking is a good way to celebrate that. It’s an incentive to get out and go there. I mean, it’s beautiful weather, why not walk and listen to good music? Plus you save the planet, too.”