Kids put on their helmets, hopped on their bicycles and competed in Riverhead PAL’s annual Bicycle Rodeo Saturday morning.
The rodeo takes place on a specially designed course at Stotzky Park and aims to teach basic bicycle control and safety skills to kids in grades K-6. Riverhead police officers provide instruction and guidance. Officer Bryan Boden demonstrated navigation of each of the tests in the course, teaching essential balance, braking and control skills. Officers stood by at each location to give the competitors tips and score their performance.
The top-scoring girls and boys won new bicycles, which were donated by Alexander Rothwell Funeral Home, Church of the Harvest, Riverhead PAL and Riverhead Local. Other prizes included Target gift cards, donated by the Riverhead Police Benevolent Association, and gift cards donated by Splish Splash, Casa Dorado, Dari-Land Ice Cream Shoppe, Snowflake Ice Cream Shoppe, Tweets Ice Cream and Cucina 25. Contestants’ t-shirts were donated by Riverhead Police Benevolent Association and Riverhead Superior Officers Association.
Riverhead Police Juvenile Aid Bureau Lt. Brian Clements organized and directed the bike rodeo. He was joined at the park Saturday morning by Chief of Police Ed Frost and several police officers. Cheryl Behr, Juvenile Aid Bureau administrative assistant and Tammy Moore, assistant to the chief, tallied the scores. Clements announced the winners. Supervisor Jerry Halpin and council members Ken Rothwell and Denise Merrifield were on hand for the event.
Riverhead LOCAL photos by Denise Civiletti
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Source: RiverheadLOCAL
