Help decorate bike racks

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EATON — Through a collaboration between Preble Trails, the City of Eaton, Henny Penny; and the Preble County Art Association, 10 bike racks will soon be installed throughout the town, and Preble Trails is searching for artists to make them a unique, visual addition to downtown and beyond.

Twenty-five local sponsors will be featured on the panel of the eight-slot bike rack with a laser cut two-dimensional art topper, fabricated by Henny Penny, completing the design.

Preble Trails and the Preble County Art Association are seeking an original design for this art topper. The purpose of the topper is to create an aesthetic focal point to the structure, and lend a simple bike rack local flair and interest.

Locations for the bike racks include: the Preble County Courthouse, Farmer’s Market (corner of Barron and Decatur streets), the Eaton City Pool, Ft. st. Clair, Seven Mile Park, Eagle’s Point, and the Eaton Place.

The design should reveal something unique about the recreational, environmental or aesthetic beauty of Preble County.

Artists are asked to submit a design only. All laser cutting and attaching will be accomplished by Henny Penny in Eaton. Any chosen design will become property of Preble Trails and the PCAA and will be reproduced. Bike racks are 90” long x 48” tall and 46” wide.

Deadline for the design is April 25 by 5 p.m. and may be dropped off at the Visual Art Center of Preble County, 601 Hillcrest Dr. in Eaton, or emailed to [email protected]. Digital entries are preferred to be a vector image of the following file type .ai,.eps, .cdr or a vector preserved pdf. Other digital file types will be accepted. For more details, visit the Preble Trails website at www.PrebleTraiI5.org/art

“We’re so excited about this project,” said Heidi Bortel, Preble Trails Chair. “We had amazing support from the community in sponsorships, and having the City, our local art center, and Henny Penny volunteer their efforts to bring this vision to a reality is amazing.

“The purpose of these racks is to begin the process to build a bike friendly community in Preble County. Bike parking tells locals and visitors that cycling and cyclists are welcome and supported. We are surrounded by amazing cycling facilities on all sides of this county – from Cardinal Greenways in Richmond, to the 300 mile network of trails in the Miami Valley. And to our north and south, Greenville and Oxford feature share the road signs and protected bike lanes. It’s time for Preble County to step up to the standards of these bike friendly communities surrounding us. And we’re really happy to see that we have so many individuals, businesses and organizations who agree with us.”

“We also are expecting over 2000 cyclists to visit our city on June 19 for GOBA (Great Ohio Bicycling Adventure). This is the perfect opportunity to get the racks in place and show our cycling guests that we welcome them.”

This is one of the first initiative of Preble Trails, the safe cycling advocacy group formed in 2014. The group consist of members including Heidi Bortel, Erin Abney, Dan Schmidt, Anna Fomin, Mike Sanders, Holly Steele, Karla McMahan, and Cathy Maynard. The group continues to work on projects including Safe Routes to School grant funding, helmet education and giveaways, and more.

Call 937-304-1825 for more information or email Heidi Bortel and [email protected] or Erin Abney at [email protected]. More information can be found about this project and others at www.PrebleTrails.org.

Local artists are encouraged to enter the Bike Rack Art Competition. Deadline is April 25.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/41/2016/04/web1_1bikerackimage-002-.jpgLocal artists are encouraged to enter the Bike Rack Art Competition. Deadline is April 25. Submitted

Dr. William Clayton enjoys his time on his bike. The new racks will begin the process of building a bike friendly community in Preble County by providing bike parking for locals and visitors.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/41/2016/04/web1_1Bike1.jpgDr. William Clayton enjoys his time on his bike. The new racks will begin the process of building a bike friendly community in Preble County by providing bike parking for locals and visitors. Submitted

By Eddie Mowen Jr.

[email protected]

Reach Eddie Mowen Jr. at 937-683-4056 or on Twitter @emowen_RH.

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