Join us for the Full Moon Ride this Saturday, Sept. 29th at 7:30 p.m. The last two rides have been a blast with recording breaking attendance!

A family oriented nature scavenger hunt will be a fun learning experience for kids of all ages at the new Little Darby State Scenic River Preserve on Saturday, Oct. 6th from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. More information is available at the link below.

The Deer Creek Fall Color Ride is planned for Saturday, October 13th. Reduced rates are available until Oct. 6th during pre-registration. This is a budget ride but route maps and limited SAG support will be available.

Our sister organization, the Simon Kenton Pathfinders, are sponsoring The Ruth I. Bentley Memorial Ride this Sunday, Sept. 9th. This is a favorite ride in the area, and an important fundraiser for their organization. See the brochure and registration material on their website. Note the newspaper article below about the event.

Be sure to mark your calendar for the Deer Creek Fall Color Ride on Oct. 13th. This budget tour is available for pre-registration with reduced early registration rates and can be done easily online.

Former FMCPT Board Director, Jack McDowell, continues to be remembered in another article below.

The Full Moon Ride (or should we say Blue Moon Ride!) is on Friday, Aug. 31st at 8 p.m. (The Aug. 1st ride set an attendance record for this event!)

(All FMCPT volunteers are invited to attend the annual appreciation picnic at 6 p.m. at the Prairie Grass Trailhead prior to the Full Moon Ride.)

Join FMCPT in the West Jefferson Ox Roast Parade on Saturday, Sept. 1st - line up at 11 a.m. Just bring your bike and look for bicyclists in the line up. Better yet, bring the kids and grandkids to help distribute candy along the parade route!

For you runners: The Episopacer 50K Race will be on Sept. 22nd starting in Xenia and going to London on the Prairie Grass Trail. FMCPT volunteers will help staff rest stops along the route for the Proctor Recreational Programs and Activities sponsored event.

The Deer Creek Fall Color Ride is Oct. 13th. Sign up now for this budget ride and get the early registration rate. There are two options: a 38-mile route, and a 77-mile route. It will start in London and follow the river valley through some of the prettiest fall foliage areas in central Ohio. Since it is a budget ride, there will be no organized food stops but there are several eateries indicated on the maps.

After the ride on the 13th, stop over to the "Boo" Fest at the Proctor Center. This promises to be a fun Halloween festival for the whole family. The Madison County Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring this event for the public, and as a proud member of this organization FMCPT encourages you to support the Chamber.

This is a reminder about the seal coating on Roberts Pass this week. (The contractor plans to seal Maple Street to Springvalley Road (section just east of London) on Wednesday.) All work is to be completed by Friday so it will not conflict with the festival activities.

If you're into baking, join the competition at the London Rib and Jazz Fest - Pie Baking Contest this Friday or the Cupcake Display and Decorating Contest on Saturday. If not, come out on Friday and have some ribs and help eat the pie! Better yet, come out Saturday morning and take in the Rib Tickler Ride, return to the fest for ribs, then enjoy a cupcake! We're here to please.

Jack has been involved with the work of parks and trails for decades. He was researching and identifying wildflowers and prairie grasses along the Prairie Grass Trail long before the idea of the Ohio to Erie Trail was born. Jack was a key proponent of the trailheads and nature preserves in Madison County. He was an early member of Friends of Madison County Parks and Trails and retained a seat on its Board of Directors until his death.

Those of us who have known and worked with Jack feel the loss of his passing, while at the same time; treasure the joy of our experiences with him. He so willingly shared his abundant knowledge of nature and the physical world with generations of people in the community. He worked hard to preserve native species for everyone to see and experience. Jack touched the hearts of many, and he will be missed.

(Please note the link to the Jack McDowell Memorial Photo Gallery at the end of the following article.)

There is still time to get reduced rates during early registration for the Rib Tickler Ride on Saturday, August 4th. Come join the fun during the London Rib and Jazz Fest. Help with the "Public Judging" at the Pie Baking Contest on Friday afternoon, August 3rd and get yourself a delicious piece of pie as you support FMCPT and the Madison County Senior Citizens Center. Or, after you get back from the ride on Saturday and enjoy a great barbecue rib meal, indulge in a cupcake at City Council Chambers following the Cupcake Display and Decorating Contest. As we have said before, this a a popular London community event and we think you will have a good time.

Note below the interesting article about how Gary Heiman, a FMCPT member and resident of West Jefferson, helped to raise funds to fight against Huntington's disease.

Participate in, or just enjoy, the Pie Baking Contest Friday afternoon. This will be a fun community event to recognize the baker in your family! More information can be found in the contest rules and it's easy to fill out the registration form.

On Saturday, start the day off with the Rib Tickler Ride. This 30-mile tour is just right to work up your appetite for those delicious ribs! When you return from the ride, just put your bike in the attended secured bike corral and enjoy the festival.

Don't forget to stop over at the Cupcake Display and Decorating Contest and make your donation for one of those award winning cupcakes!

This is a popular London festival so be sure and join the fun!

       Tuesday, June 26th 8 a.m. - 11 a.m.
       Thursday, June 28th 7 p.m. - 8 p.m.
       Saturday, July 14th 8 a.m. - 10 a.m.

Pre-registration is open for the Rib Tickler Ride on August 4th. This will be a fun 30-mile tour from London to Brighton and back. Then enjoy the food, beer, and entertainment at the London Rib and Jazz Fest! You can sign up online or print out a registration form now and get in on the discounted entrance fee.

July 2: Meet and greet the Honor Ride Ohio cyclists as they travel from Sunbury to Columbus to London on the third day of their ride across Ohio. Click here to learn more about this event.

July 3: The next Full Moon Ride is scheduled at 8 p.m. leaving from the Prairie Grass Trailhead.

July 4: Join FMCPT to cycle in the London Bicentennial Parade. Line-up starts at 10 a.m. and the parade will start promptly at 11 a.m. The line-up will be along and near Park Avenue. Just look for cyclists with bright green shirts and join in! The dedication of the new Bicentennial Park will immediately follow the parade.

Although early registration is over for the Strawberry Festival Bicycle Tour, you can still pre-register for the ride online, or just show up on Saturday morning. The arrows have been painted on the roads and the routes have been changed slightly from a few days ago due to bridges being repaired. Maps and directions have been updated online and will be available at the registration table. It looks like it will be an interesting and fun ride.

Green arrows with a number "1" are being painted along the bicycle street routes in London. The #1 stands for the Ohio to Erie Trail, and the arrows are intended to make it a little easier for cyclists to find their way across London between the trails on the east and west sides of the city. Large new display maps are being placed at the ends of the trail on each side of London to encourage cyclists to "visit the GAP in the trail" and take advantage of the amenities throughout the city.

As mentioned in earlier news updates, the FMCPT meeting for May will be this Tuesday, May 15th at 7 pm. The location has been moved to the London Coffee Peddler, at 65-B West High Street.

See the article below called "Memorial bicycle ride scheduled". It's about the Ride of Silence that will take place in Columbus this Wednesday at 7 p.m.. Follow the link in the article for more information about this special ride. For those that would like to carpool with FMCPT to the event, meet at 5:30 p.m. at the Prairie Grass Trailhead behind the Madison County Senior Citzens Center.

The Strawberry Festival Bicycle Tour is scheduled for June 9th. Use this fun Saturday ride to get prepared for GOBA! Check out other local rides on our Events tab.

(Looking for some new trails for your next vacation? Check out the entire article.)

Please note that the May FMCPT meeting will be rescheduled to Tuesday, May 15th at 7 p.m. so FMCPT directors and members may attended the Ride of Silence in Columbus on Wednesday, May 16th at 7 p.m. Please join FMCPT and many other central Ohio groups to participate in this special annual event. A carpool will gather at 5:30 p.m. at the Prairie Grass Trailhead behind the Senior Center in London.

FMCPT is proud to have one of its directors included in the recent Volunteers feature section in The Madison Press. See the article below how this special person strives to make his community a better place to live.

Friday, April 6th at 7 p.m. will be the first Full-Moon Ride for the season.

Saturday, April 21st, 9 a.m. - noon the London National Honor Society will remove invasive species at the London wetland.

Saturday, April 28th, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. join FMCPT at the Madison County Community Expo.