COMMUNITY TO WELCOME RASDAK RIDERS ON SATURDAY
JEREMY WALTNER – PUBLISHER
The Freeman Community Development Corporation and other local groups are gearing up to welcome bicyclists from Ride Across South Dakota (RASDak) to Freeman this coming Saturday, June 11, and the entire community is welcome to join in the fun.
“We’re having a party and everybody is invited,” said Carol Eisenbeis, who works in marketing, development and communications with the city of Freeman and has been closely associated with RASDak officials working with this year’s “Explore 44” trek from west to east across the Mt. Rushmore State. “That’s probably the most important part of this for people to understand. We’re just planning to have a fun celebration in conjunction with RASDak, but we don’t really have any idea how many people to expect.
“We certainly hope it’s more than just RASDak folks and their families,” Eisenbeis continued. “So come out and enjoy.”
The activities planned will take place on the grounds of the Freeman Prairie Arboretum and will include to-dos for the entire family, even before the expected 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. arrival of bicyclists.
A 5K run and corresponding events will begin at 8:30 a.m., with outdoor games and activities beginning at 10 a.m. as part of Freeman Academy’s “Day of Play.”
Heritage Hall Museum & Archives, which features a mercantile and vintage bicycle exhibition, will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
A pancake brunch/lunch in the arboretum’s interpretive center will be served from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. — around the time riders are expected to arrive — and is being provided by Freeman Academy and the South Dakota Chislic Festival.
There will be a youth bicycle safety rodeo from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., with participants receiving a free helmet courtesy of Freeman Regional Health Services and CorTrust Bank.
And bingo will be featured at the interpretive center from 1 to 3 p.m.
How many with RASDak will actually take part in the activities remains to be seen — “We’re a little uncertain about what to expect,” Eisenbeis says — but organizers want to give those who participate a good time.
“We’re excited to welcome them in at the arboretum,” she said. “And we certainly hope people from the community come out to enjoy the day.”
Saturday will be the final destination for RASDak riders, who unlike their stop in Freeman during the inaugural RASDak in 2013, will not be spending the night.
“Last time they were here, Freeman was in the middle of their route,” noted Eisenbeis. “So they all rolled in, we hosted them, feed them, they spend the night, they get up, they have breakfast and they’re on their way again. This time it’s different in that we are the last stop on their journey, so they’ll be going home from here.”
Many bicyclists actually arrived in Freeman last week Friday and were welcomed by representatives from the FCDC. A pasta meal prepeared by the Freeman High School Music Department was served, Heritage Hall Museum & Archives hosted a special program focusing on its bicycle exhibit, and the Lions Club provided a breakfast the following morning.
Participants were then transported to Hill City where their seven-day bike adventure across the state began. The vehicles that were left in the school’s parking lot reflect the widespread geography represented in this year’s ride. In addition to multiple counties within South Dakota, license plates came from North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Missouri, Colorado, Ohio, Washington and Saskatchewan.
Riders left from Hill City on Sunday and were to make seven stops and covered almost 470 miles in the following days:
June 5: Hill City to Rapid City (39 miles)
June 6: Rapid City to Wall (82 miles)
June 7: Wall to Kadoka (58 miles)
June 8: Kadoka to Murdo (70 or 42 miles)
June 9: Murdo to Winner (81 miles)
June 10: Winner to Armour (82 or 102 miles)
June 11: Armour to Freeman (55 miles)
This is actually the fourth bicycle ride across South Dakota Freeman has been part of. In addition to RASDak in 2013, the community was part of the Argus Leader Tour de Kota — the ride that preceded RASDak — in 2011 and 2006.
