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Marietta Holiday Lights Bicycle Tour tour to be held Dec. 26

MARIETTA — For the 21st year, the annual Marietta Holiday Lights Bicycle Tour will be held on the night after Christmas in downtown Marietta and the surrounding neighborhood.

The tour will begin at 7 p.m. Dec. 26 at the First Unitarian Universalist Church at 232 Third St. in downtown Marietta.

The event is sponsored by the Marietta Rowing and Cycling Club and the church welcomes all riders with helmets and lights for a 6-10 mile tour of the River Trail and quiet residential streets.

Free registration is immediately prior to the ride in the handicapped accessible fellowship hall.

The annual bike ride will go on whatever the weather has in store.

Roger Kalter, the ride’s coordinator and founder, said the event is a good opportunity for individuals and families to “bicycle off a little bit of Christmas fudge.”

Over the years, the ride has taken place during a wide variety of weather conditions from clear and 40 degrees to quarter-size snow flakes and 20 degrees.

The free tour is designed to gather bicyclists interested in exploring Marietta’s streets while enjoying the company of other cyclists and the colorful lights decorating area homes, businesses, parks and churches, Kalter said.

Kalter said he started the bicycle ride in Marietta after he participating in a similar one many years ago in Cincinnati.

The group generally rides from Putnam to Fourth Street, Fourth to the Marietta River Trail, the length of the trail to Front Street, Front to Greene streets, Greene to Second Street and then to Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Seventh streets.

The ride will end back at the Unitarian church where hot chocolate and Christmas cookies will be served.

There is no charge to participate in the ride and it will be held no matter what the weather is like, Kalter said. Past rides have been held during snowfalls and freezing temperatures. He recommended dressing in layered clothing to help fight the cold of the evening. More layers can be added if the temperatures are low and some can be removed if it turns out to be a temperate evening, he said.

Riders need to bring a bicycle, a safety helmet and a light, even if it is just a flashlight taped to the handlebars, Kalter said. In past years, he and some of the other longtime riders have also decorated their bicycles with holiday lights. Children under age 14 must be accompanied by adults.

While the ride is free as a gift to the community, participants must sign a liability waiver just before the event begins. Contact Kalter at 740-373-1784 or at rogerkalter1@yahoo.com.

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