Comments on: Eat Local Week kicks off with Urban Farm Bicycle Tour

By: Marla Camp

Marla Camp — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 20:37:32 +0000

elliott, thanks for your great post! Good to get feedback on the Tour this year, as we tried hard to consider all the feedback we had last year and improve this year’s Tour accordingly.

Alicia, it did warm up to 50 degrees or so by noon and most of the people I talked to said it was a very pleasant ride, weatherwise. We did have a per-person cost of $25, so there was a more affordable option than the family rate for just an individual, and as Elliott said, the event is a fundraiser and the funds are very much appreciated by Urban Roots.

By: Leslie Luciano

Leslie Luciano — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 20:31:22 +0000

Alicia,

If you’d like to come by the shop, I’d be happy to get you a map to use at your leisure. In addition to awareness, this is a tremendous fundraiser where all funds benefit Urban Roots Youth Launch program. The family $40 option is for families of 2 or more. This year we had several schools participating as a family which exposed our youth to alternative transportation and these sustainable “gems” in our city.

This was the 2nd year the Tour launched Edible Austin’s Eat Local Week which begins the 1st weekend of December every year. Check out more Eat Local Events at http://www.edibleaustin.com

We hope you can join us next year. Every participant received one raffle ticket at every Tour stop and garden they went to. A drawing will be held next week with an opportunity for them to win a bike, as well as the following local business gifts: 2-$20 Kirby Lane, 2-$25 Natural Gardener, $50 Greenling Gift Cert., 2- dinners for two ($40 value each) at Eastside Café, 2-$25 gift certs: Soup Peddler, $50 gift card-Uchi, 2- $100 gift cards from Great Outdoors, 3 dinners for 2 at Blue Dahlia ($50 value each), 1 dinner for 2 from Cipollina, and one $100 gift cert to Parkside.

Keep on riding!

By: elliott

elliott — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:41:12 +0000

Alicia,
Putting together an event like this does cost money, for advertising, for staffing, for printing maps, etc. There was also food included at several stops on the tour. Also, it was self paced so $10 and a map would have been no different than what occurred. It was a fundraiser for a worthy cause and based on the turnout on a 25 degree day, I’d say most people didn’t have a problem with the price for a chance to experience the eat-local scene.

By: Alicia

Alicia — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:51:28 +0000

My husband and I talked about going on this ride and skipped it for two reasons:

1. Weather — too cold. Is there a reason we can’t have it in May or October instead of December? I have recurring nightmares about last year’s jingle bell ride.

2. Cost — $40 per family. I would have appreciated an option in the range of $10/person, since I could have done this ride alone for no cost with just a map — I know the money goes to a great cause, but you are biking yourself around town under your own power, right?

Anyway, I only bring these up as a way of pointing out things that could make other such events more accessible. But my husband and I bike a lot already, so maybe we aren’t the target for making things more accessible.