City of Reidsville Press Release – September 17, 2014

Cycle NC To Visit Reidsville September 29

The City of Reidsville invites you to attend a free event and welcome 1,100 cyclists to Reidsville!

Reidsville will be hosting a free event Monday, September 29, from 4-9 p.m. in downtown’s Market Square. The public is invited to come out and welcome the Cycle NC riders to our City for the “Mountains to the Coast” ride.

Cycle NC is a fully supported bicycle tour of North Carolina that has become one of the most popular cross-state rides in the United States. The demographics for the riders includes an average age of 54 and average income over $100,000. The oldest rider is in their 80s and the youngest around 12. On average 60% are from NC and the remaining 40% are from all over the US and internationally.

This is the 16th annual tour and Reidsville is one of seven stops on the week- long trek.

According to Judy Yarbrough with the City of Reidsville, “We have been working with the Rockingham County Tourism Development Authority for three years on recruiting this event for an overnight stay in Reidsville. Three years ago Reidsville hosted a rest stop. CNC and the riders are still talking about that event.”

There are at 1,100 riders signed up to participate in the ride, which begins in Sparta on Sunday then continues to Mount Airy. Monday morning they depart from Mount Airy and make their way into Rockingham County. There will be a rest stop in Mayodan, Wentworth and then they ride into the Jeff Betsy Penn 4-H Camp, where they will be spending the night.

“We want to show these riders what a great place Reidsville is, so they will come back to your beautiful City and tell their families and friends!” Yarbrough said. The cyclists will begin arriving into the camp starting at noon. At 3p.m. shuttles will begin taking riders to Market Square in downtown Reidsville.

“There we have a great evening planned for them and the public. Beginning at 4 p.m., old school rock and roll will be played by the Jimmy Leggs Band, Captain Jim will be working the crowd with magic tricks, and there will also be a stilt walker. Taking the stage at 6:30 will be Heart Brigade, a Tribute to Heart. They performed earlier in the season at Market Square and were such a success, people wanted them back. So if you missed them, now’s your opportunity to enjoy this show. Around 8:45 p.m., we will round out the evening with a Fire Dance Performance by Patika Star.

Plan to eat with us that evening. We will have a Low Country Boil, Butts Smokin on the Grill by Short Sugars, Hot Dogs, ice cream, smoothies, iced coffee and fresh baked goods. Miller Coors will be out as well with free samples of their products. This will be located in the Beer and Wine Garden. There is a $1 admission in to that area. You must be 21 and have an ID. Area downtown restaurants will also be open and include the Celtic Fringe, Carolina Café, 24 Black Birds, and Café 99. The riders then will be shuttled back to the 4-H camp and local hotels. They will resume the ride the next morning, and the route brings them into town and then back out 158 to Oxford.

According to Reidsville Mayor Jay Donecker, “This is the fourth time Rockingham County has hosted an overnight stay with Cycle NC. These types of events take time, recruitment and lots of planning and working together with area agencies to make it happen. It is basically a mini city moving in for 24 hours. The City, Rockingham County Tourism Development Authority, along with the 4-H Camp, have worked for months planning this event. We are thrilled they will be staying in Reidsville and experiencing our City and all we have to offer. This is a fantastic opportunity for our businesses to be open and welcome them to our area. They are a captive audience and you can’t buy this kind of exposure.”

The event at Market Square is open to the public. However, the 4-H camp will only be open to the riders that day. Please join us as we welcome these riders to our beautiful City. Reidsville. Live Simply. Think Big.

Contact Judy Yarbrough at 336-349-1099 or for more details.