Pomona Pumpkin Patch Pedal

22 Oct Pomona Pumpkin Patch Pedal

Volunteering for C.I.C.L.E. (Cyclists Inciting Change thru LIVE Exchange) has been a real passion of mine for the past few months.  It started with the Tour da Arts Ride  at Santa Monica Museum of Arts on August 18, 2013 where I decided to become a ride leader.  I had such a great time leading a large group of cyclists through the city and making sure people have a great time in the process.

Thomas Plaza

Bike Fairy

The Pomona Pumpkin Patch Pedal was no different.  This event took place on October 20, 2013, in which an impressive amount of people showed up at Thomas Plaza at 10:30 am for the ride.   As we drove into the plaza, I surveyed the crowd to see who was in costume and who wasn’t.  There were probably more people who weren’t, but then I saw some of my fellow ride leaders dressed up.  To be a team player and show support to the leadership group, I pulled on my Alvin (of Alvin and the Chipmunks) costume which was complete with a red cap.  This was a recycled costume which I first donned back in 2007, but was sitting in my closet without much attention…but I digress.

In addition to C.I.C.L.E.’s involvement in the ride, the LA Metro sponsored the event and provided prizes to give away in a raffle at the end.  The Pomona Valley Bicycle Coalition also provided volunteers and support for the event as we joined forces to help ensure that participants of the event made it to the pumpkin patch and back safely.  After a quick presentation about rules and etiquette of bicycling from members of each organization, we were ready to roll. Someone had commented that there was a lot of “energy” at Thomas Plaza.  People were definitely buzzing with excitement.  We finally made our way out of Downtown Pomona and onto the side streets towards the Pumpkin Festival at Cal Poly Pomona.

Bystanders

Super Mario Jump!

The weather was fantastic!  People and their dogs greeted us as our parade of bicycles snaked through neighborhoods.  Most encounters were very positive, as kids waved and interacted with cyclists, especially the gentleman in the Super Mario costume.  Some people even took out their phones to take pictures and videos as we passed their homes.  The cars were very forgiving.  We did not encounter anybody who was aggressive or even honked their horn at us.  I think after seeing the group that included folks from all walks of life, honking at us would be honking at someone they know or themselves.  Of course, this is just my theory.

When we reached Cal Poly Pomona, the streets and parking lots were lined with cars and pedestrians everywhere.  We probably were quite a spectacle for some as our group of cyclists pulled right into the Pumpkin Festival with bikes and all.  There was A LOT of people at the festival.  We walked through several canopies set up by Cal Poly’s organization for fundraising, as well as other local vendors.  We finally made it through to the back way towards our designated parking spot which was a nice grass garden behind the Farm Store.  Debbie came out to greet us and told us about the Farm Store.  She was really surprised by the turnout and offered everyone a 10% discount coupon.

Biggest pumpkin haul for the day.

The rest of the festival was busy.  People scattered everywhere looking for food, pumpkins, and members of their group.  People with wagons and strollers were everywhere.  I didn’t even have the opportunity to get food as every line seemed very long.  Instead, I bought a bag of popcorn and had an apple for my snacks.  As we were getting to leave, we had a boy probably about 10 years old belting out Michael Jackson covers with his guitar.  Talented young man!

Pumpkins and Flats

We had several individuals who took the opportunity to pick out the best pumpkin(s) from the patch.  At $5 any pumpkin, I think it’s a steal especially when you see the size of some of these pumpkins.  The Super Dad who was riding a Bakfiet bike with 3 kids in the bucket and 2 on their own bike took home one of the biggest pumpkin I’ve ever seen.  I was rather impressed by his load.  Dan Dabek, Director of C.I.C.L.E., brought a trailer with him in case folks needed his service to haul pumpkins back.  Luckily for him, there were about 5 good size pumpkins that needed to be transported.  They were all strapped down and ready to roll when 1:30 pm came around.  I had to retire my costume as it was extremely uncomfortable riding in the heat in what was essentially a dress with a turtleneck!  I did wear the baseball cap, but that was more for function over form.

Our Mighty Viking Biker

We all navigated through the crowd once again before we commenced our ride back.  Almost immediately, we were split into 2 groups.  I was in the back to help the second group navigate back to Downtown Pomona.  We took the same way back home as we did on the way in.  All was smooth besides a few flats.  Dan had repaired a flat for a rider at the Farm Store.  There were 2 more flats: one was on a beach cruiser whose stem was corroded to a point where you needed a new inner tube and the other one was on a kid’s bike.  The gentleman on the cruiser ended up calling a friend for a lift and the kid’s bike was towed back by a ride leader and Super Dad had another passenger on the back rack of his Bakfiet.  I am always amazed by the versatility of that bike!

Treats and Prizes

The ride ended at a local art gallery space called The Loft which was a huge open art gallery space on the second floor.  The remaining riders enjoyed apple cider and cookies while sets of blinky lights were raffled off.  I misplaced my ticket so I disqualified myself unintentionally.  Bikes and jack-o-lantern joined their happy owners home as this beautiful afternoon wrapped up with a resoundingly successful ride.

View of the pumpkin patch at Cal Poly Pomona