Please help extend the Ohio to Erie Trail across historic London!
Click here for info on our "Closing the Gap" Fundraiser
2018 News
07-13-18
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Hello Friends,
 The Ohio to Erie Trail now extends further into London thanks to Stanley Electric, the Ohio to Erie Trail Fund, FMCPT, and many, many others.
Almost 90% of the construction costs for the trail extension have been raised. However, we are fundraising to get the remaining $7k. If you can help us dwindle down this remaining amount, just click here for more information and an online opportunity to donate. Your help is most appreciated!
This is a beautiful time of year – the wildflowers are blooming along the Prairie Grass Trail and the Prairie Grass Trailhead.
It's also time to clear the invasive species from the rain gardens. Please join us on Saturday, July 21st from 9 a.m. – noon for a Community Stewardship Event at the Prairie Grass Trailhead.
Soon after the rain gardens are back in shape, it will be time for the annual educational Prairie Appreciation Ride on Saturday July 28th. Botanist John Silvius, professor emeritus of biology at Cedarville University; Julia Cumming, Program Administrator with Madison Soil and Water Conservation District; Matt Silveira, Corporate Environmental Manager, CEMEX US; and Karen Stombaugh and Monica Price, Madison County Master Gardeners will staff various stops along the educational ride. Take advantage of this free event to learn more about the wildflowers along the trail corridor. Click here for more details.
The next Full Moon Ride will be on Friday, July 27th at 8:30 p.m. Come early for pizza or ice cream at Phat Daddy's or one of the other area restaurants. While you're at Phat Daddy's check out their new bike repair station! See the link for ride details.
The London Rib & Jazz Fest will be on August 3rd and 4th in downtown historical London. Start Saturday morning off right with the Rib Tickler Ride with our local version of the more famous "London to Brighton Bike Ride" at our namesake city. Enjoy the ride and as you get back to London, the ribs will be getting done and the beer will be cold! We provide a free bike corral so you can enjoy the festival. Early registration is open until July 28 with a reduced entry fee and it's easy to do it online. Click on the ride link above for more details.
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06-07-18
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Hello Friends,
There's still time to pre-register online for the 15th Annual Strawberry Festival Bicycle Tour this Saturday. You can also register at check-in. The Registration Table will open at 6:30 a.m. and riders may start immediately after signing the tour waiver. We try to have all riders start by 8 a.m. with cutoff at 9 a.m. to ensure all food stops are open when riders arrive. Please see the above link for more details.
Also, remember to come back for the London Strawberry Festival in downtown London June 21 – 23. The popular Cobra Show is on Saturday, June 23rd.
The new Ohio to Erie Trail extension in London between Maple Street and Walnut Street is now open. However, only 74% of the expected cost of $78,000 has been raised. This section is 1,600' long so the trail prices out at less than $50/ft. - that's a low cost to build a trail - thanks to our volunteers and the County Engineering Department. If you can help close the Financial Gap, we greatly appreciate it!
The Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure (GOBA) arrives in London on Sunday, June 17th and stays until Tuesday morning at the Fairgrounds. Come out to meet some of these adventurers of all ages. If you would like to volunteer to help on any of the above days, please contact the Madison County Chamber of Commerce for details.
The next Full Moon Ride (Strawberry Moon) is on June 28th at 8:30 p.m. near Phat Daddy's Pizza in London. See the link for more information.
Please see the FMCPT website Events page for other upcoming activities.
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05-27-18
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Hello Friends,
The Board of Directors of Friends of Madison County Parks and Trails would like to honor and thank all veterans and their families on this Memorial Day.
Please note the following events during the next few weeks:
The next Full Moon Ride (Flower Moon) is almost here! For a fun night at the right price, meet up on May 29th at 8 p.m. near Phat Daddy's Pizza in London. See the link for more information.
FMCPT is teaming up with the Madison Soil and Water Conservation District for a Community Stewardship Event on Saturday, June 2 from 9 a.m. – noon. The purpose is to give some TLC to the flower beds and rain gardens at the Prairie Grass Trailhead. We'll be removing invasive species and planting pollinator seedlings. Staff will be on hand to supervise volunteers. Please dress for the work operation and the weather. If you have garden hand tools, please bring them along. Click on the link above for more information.
The 15th annual Strawberry Festival Bicycle Tour will be on Saturday, June 9th. This four-route optional tour has one just for you. There is a reduced price for pre-registrations received up through June 2nd. It's easy to go online at the above link for more information and pre-registration.
Also, remember to come back for the London Strawberry Festival in downtown London June 21 – 23. The popular Cobra Show is on Saturday, June 23rd.
The Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure (GOBA) arrives in London on Sunday, June 17th and stays until Tuesday morning at the Fairgrounds. Come out to meet some of these adventurers of all ages. If you would like to volunteer to help on any of the above days, please contact the Madison County Chamber of Commerce for details.
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05-01-18
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Hello Friends,
The weather was great for the Full Moon Ride last night! Fourteen cyclists from central and southern Ohio enjoyed the ride from downtown London towards Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park and back. Mark your calendar for the next ride on May 29th. Please see the link for more information.
If you haven't done so already, dig that bike out. "May is Bike Month". Enjoy this beautiful weather on your favorite trail after this long winter and cool spring!
The educational Geology Tour scheduled for this Saturday will start at 9:30 a.m. from the Indian Ridge parking lot in Battelle Darby Metro Park. If you have not done this ride before, give yourself a treat as geologist Scott Brockman leads us into a journey of long, long ago.
Cyclists from Adventure Cycling Association's Underground Railroad Tour will be staying at the Prairie Grass Trailhead camping area on Monday, May 7th. Come over and help welcome these long-distance riders to our community.
Senior Fair Day is coming on May 15th from 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at the Madison County Senior Citizens Center at 280 W. High Street in London. FMCPT will have an informational display table staffed by volunteers, and will be able to answer your questions about local trails, activities, and membership. We hope you'll stop out and say hello.
The 15th annual Strawberry Festival Bicycle Tour will be on Saturday, June 9th this year. This is a four-route optional tour which includes a 21-mile ride on the Ohio to Erie Trail, all the way up to a century ride along scenic rural country roads. Two other medium length routes are available for your individual choice. See the above link for more details. Also, remember to come back for the London Strawberry Festival in downtown London June 21 – 23. The popular Cobra Show is on Saturday, June 23rd.
The Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure (GOBA) arrives in London on Sunday, June 17th and stays until Tuesday morning at the Fairgrounds. Come out to meet some of these adventurers of all ages. We are very pleased to have these visitors come and stay in our community.
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02-26-18
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Hello Friends,
Spring is right around the corner! The crocuses are coming up, the buzzards are back, the days are getting longer, and many are planning their spring gardens. The Madison County Master Gardeners are sponsoring the Madison County Garden Expo on Saturday, March 17th. The event will be at the First Presbyterian Church, 211 Garfield Ave., London, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Come visit the FMCPT booth and learn more about local rare wildflowers and the upcoming educational Prairie Appreciation Ride
Another spring project sponsored by the Madison County Park District and the Soil and Water Conservation District is coming up soon and will need volunteers. Join us at the Little Darby Clean Up Day on Friday, March 30.
The first Full Moon Ride of the season will actually be a "Blue Moon" and is scheduled for Saturday, March 31. Come early and have dinner and then meet in front of Phat Daddy's Pizza to start the ride at 7:30 p.m. See the above link for more details.
The Madison County Park District Commissioners have approved planning for a ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday, April 7 to open the next section of the Ohio to Erie Trail towards downtown London. No, we do not have all the funds needed to finish constructing the above section - we're about $20K short at this time. FMCPT wants to get this trail open for you and is willing to go out on a limb to make it happen! So, if you can donate a little more it would be greatly appreciated. Making a donation for the trail gap is easy here.
Mark your calendar for another interesting educational experience to learn why this area of Ohio became one of the largest prairies east of the Mississippi River and why we still have remnants of these once widespread native wildflowers and prairie grasses. A Geology Ride is scheduled for Saturday, May 5th. See the link for more details.
The 15th Annual Strawberry Festival Bicycle Tour is being planned for Saturday, June 9th. People have started to register for this ride to reserve their spot. Check out the FMCPT website for more details at the above link.
Finally, our spring activities will wrap up with a stay over by GOBA riders in London at the Madison County Fairgrounds. GOBA will come in on Sunday, June 17th, staying over on Monday with several planned activities, and then move to Circleville on Tuesday. If you would like to be a part of this event, a Town Hall Meeting is being planned for Wednesday, Feb. 28th at 5 p.m. at the Madison County Chamber of Commerce in London at 730 Keny Blvd. If you cannot attend but would like to be a part of the event, contact the Chamber of Commerce on 740-852-2250.
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01-09-18
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Hello Friends,
We hope you had a Happy New Year's Day! FMCPT kicked off 2018 with their traditional New Year's Day Ride. It was a little short due to the chilly weather, but four adventurous seniors participated in a ride around London. Just wait to the weather breaks.....
Here's an update on the status of the The Ohio to ErieTrail extension between Maple & Walnut Streets in London. Unfortunately, the limestone did not get placed before the end of 2017. Partly because the County Engineering Department had a fire that destroyed a dump truck and the tractor for a semi dump trailer, and the weather did not cooperate in December. However, people continued to donate towards the Trail Gap project and currently 72% of the estimated trail section construction costs have been raised. The County Engineer plans to have the trail section completed with an asphalt surface by this spring. We still need approximately $23,000 for the paving. If you can donate to help out, that would be greatly appreciated! Just click HERE for more information.
Join us at the annual FMCPT Members Meeting on Wednesday, January 17 at 7 p.m. at the Madison County Senior Citizens Center, 280 W. High St., London, Ohio. Our guest speaker is Brian Housh who is a Yellow Springs village council member and a Midwest policy manager involved with the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. Expect an interesting talk about trails and the future work of the Conservancy. The Madison County Commissioners will present volunteer certificates for outstanding service in 2017. This meeting is open to the public and refreshments will be available.
Our 13th Annual Pancake & Sausage Breakfast is co-sponsored with the Madison County Senior Citizens Center and will be on Saturday, February 10th from 7-11 a.m. This is an All You Can Eatbreakfast so bring the family and friends! Adults are $6 and children under 13 are $4. There will be a silent auction during the breakfast. (If you have newer items you would like to donate to the auction, contact Gene Pass 740-506-0521 or Wayne Roberts 614-205-6754 for assistance.)
If you are not a FMCPT Life Member and have not updated your FMCPT Membership for 2018, it is easy to do. Just click HERE and follow the instructions. Your membership is a major contributor towards trail maintenance expenses.
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01-01-18
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FMCPT members start off a FRIGID 2018 with the traditional New Year's Ride.
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11-22-17
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Hello Friends,
We hope you are having a Happy Thanksgiving Holiday!
Come out and join us this Monday for Olde Fashioned Christmas in London. We'll be at the London Coffee Peddler, 127 S. Main Street with free refreshments and good conversation. There will be plenty of merry making from the Peddler to Cowling Park from 5:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
The Ohio to Erie Trail extension between Maple & Walnut Street in London will soon be completed with a limestone finish by the end of the year. We plan to put asphalt down in the spring, however, only 68% of the original estimated cost has been raised to date. We still need approximately $25,000 to complete the paving. If you can donate to help, that would be greatly appreciated! Just click HERE for more information.
The London camping area continues to be a popular place to stop. The number of bicycle campers has double since last year. We've now had campers from all over Ohio, 25 other states, and 7 other countries. A frequent comment from the visitors is "please tell other towns to provide such a facility"!
FMCPT volunteers have used the Root Ripper machine on both sides of the trail across the county again this year. We are pleased with its effectiveness and have had very little new root problems since using the machine.
The Madison County Engineering Department used their radial-arm mower to cut back high brush along each side of the trail this fall. This saves our volunteers, and the contracted workers, many hours in mowing the grass and keeping the weeds cut down. Volunteers have also been blowing the trail this fall to help keep the leaves from becoming wet and slippery.
If you are a dedicated bicyclist, think about joining us for the Annual New Year's Day Ride! We meet at 1 p.m. day at McDonald's in London. The weather will help determine the length of the ride. The point here is: starting the New Year off right!
The Annual Membership Meeting is scheduled for January 17th at 7 p.m. at the Senior Center in London. The guest speaker is Brian Housh. Along with many other hats he wears, Brian is a Yellow Springs Council Member, and a Midwest Policy Manager involved with Rails-to-Trails Conservancy working to build active transportation networks in the region. The meeting is open to the public and we hope you can come.
We are very pleased that GOBA will be staying in London again in 2018! We will need food providers, sleeping quarters, entertainment, volunteers, Committee members, etc., etc.. If you would like to be involved with GOBA this year, please contact us at fmcpt@columbus.rr.com.
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Show your support by participating in our 2018 Membership Drive! 
