Mother Nature has fun on Earth Day

PABLO - A strong coordinated effort by several local groups allowed the Second Annual Community Earth Day Event to go off without a hitch last Saturday, despite varied and weird weather conditions throughout the day.

If anything, coordinators for the event would say the wacky weather may have been the only thing to slightly damper the day. Strong wind, dust, rain and even hail and snow caused bike riders to break out warm jackets, gloves and hats during the April 24 trek around Ronan, Pablo and Polson.

"[The turnout] has been similar to last year, but maybe a little less than last year because of this weather," said Jennifer Rolfsness, Ronan Parks and Recreation director.

Still, an estimated 400 participants came out for the family-friendly event. Based at the Joe McDonald Event Center on the Salish Kootenai College campus in Pablo, riders had six stations along the highway bike path to get three stamps from in order to earn a free lunch. Three stations to the north and three to the south allowed attendees to vary their travels and still earn a cheeseburger, brownie and apple. The food supplied at the event was locally grown, said Diana Schwab of the Lake County Health Department.

"We're trying to encourage families to get out and be healthy and make healthy choices," she said. "People are concerned with public health and that's the main idea."

Many local organizations are concerned with public health, and many banded up to put on the event. The Ronan Parks and Recreation department, Lake County Health Department, Safe On All Roads (SOAR), CSKT Tribal Health, and Buckle Up MT were among the groups that donated time or materials to the event, in addition to countless volunteers.

Rolfsness collected approximately 25 bikes to give away at the event, which she said went fast. Others came to have their bikes fixed or looked at by volunteers, while helmets from Tribal Health flew out of the box. Margene Asay, Tribal Health manager, said she gave out about 250 or 300 helmets, in addition to other Earth-friendly goodies like backpacks, reflectors, and lanyards.

"We had a whole bunch of people and many completed the bike safety course," Asay said. "All the kids on the path had helmets on."

Amy Edwards brought her two young daughters, Mylie, 2, and Marisol, 7, to the event. They started the ride down the highway bike path from the Jolly Pack Rat before stopping for a "Made in Montana" lunch at SKC. Mylie rode in a trailer behind her mom's bike, while Marisol made the trek herself, but admitted to being "tired."

Pablo residents Don, Audra and Montana Stroup each received a bike and a helmet. Don said he was thrilled to get the bike because he has been dropping off job applications and walking has been inefficient. Ten-year old Montana said she had already "had fun with my bike," the first one she has ever owned.

"We've been trying to get her a bike for a long time but couldn't because of financial reasons," Don said. "We heard she could come get one, and now, she's trying to be Evel Knievel, keeping up with the boys."

Janet Sucha and her husband Frank had both participated in the inaugural event last year and came back to help out this year as well. Frank helped work on the bikes with other volunteers while Janet assisted with the food preparation. Janet was thrilled to see all the attendees and volunteers who showed up and enjoyed the day dedicated to our planet.

"It's always a really good community event because of all the people that come to help," she said. "Healthy Earth, healthy me, that's the message we wanted to get across."