By Kevin Boneske
Staff Writer
GREEN BAY – The area where children bring their bicycles in hopes Green Bay Packers players will ride them from the locker room to the practice field was also the site Monday, Aug. 6, for the annual bike safety rodeo.
The Packers, Bellin Health and the Safe Kids Coalition teamed up for the event in the east Lambeau Field parking lot.
The bike rodeo, which is part of the Titletown Wellness initiative, featured free bike helmet fittings for those who already had helmets, bike helmet giveaways for those without helmets and a safety course for children to learn and practice bicycle riding skills.
Bellin Health spokesperson Kelly McBride Moore said the event is held annually in conjunction with Packers training camp and during a day right before the team heads across Oneida Street for a practice.
“The purpose of the event is really to encourage bicycle safety and teach kids not only that wearing a helmet is very important, but also some of the rules of the road as you can see with our bike safety course,” she said.
Members of the De Pere Police Department were on hand to instruct children through the obstacle course and teach them bike safety skills.
After having purchased a mobile bike rodeo with grant money, Public Resource Officer Jedd Bradley said the De Pere Police Department was asked years ago by Bellin to be part of the event at Lambeau Field.
“The course that we have set up teaches kids to check for blind spots, and really to recognize the stop signs and the vehicles, and to understand those important aspects when they’re on the roadways,” he said.
Bradley said probably the most important thing for children to remember from the event is to wear a helmet while biking.
“When these kids get on their bikes or scooters or big wheels, (they need) to really, really, really understand that you have to have a helmet on,” he said. “That’s the most important part of this. Kudos to Bellin for sponsoring that.”
