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Tour the town with Lakeville Friends of the Environment.
Explore Lakeville’s expanding trail system and bike lanes with the Lakeville Friends of the Environment this September. The club’s annual Tour of Lakeville Bike Ride is designed to bring the community together to show off new parks and trails while enjoying the beauty of the city.
Riders meet at downtown’s Pioneer Park and choose between a 20-mile route or a 6-mile route. Both routes return to the park, which is just a few blocks away from the Lakeville Art Festival and the Lakeville Farmers Market that are also happening that day. “It’s just such a sense of community on that day,” says Debbie Nelson, one of the founders of the Lakeville Friends of the Environment. “It really is special.”
Nelson, along with Harley and Diane Horsager, founded the environmental group in 2007 as an organization dedicated to connecting people of Lakeville with nature and raising awareness about environmental issues. “We came together and said this was important to us, and we think it’s important for Lakeville,” Nelson says.
The organization hosts a variety of events, including summer cleanups, educational activities and book studies, in addition to the annual bike ride. “It’s a lot of fun,” Nelson says of the bike tour. “You get to meet people; you get to ride with people. It’s just a different experience. It’s just really a community-enriching event.”
Ages 6–99. Free. 9 a.m. September 21. Pioneer Park Plaza, 20785 Holyoke Ave., Lakeville; 952.985.4600; lakevillemn.gov; lakevillefriends.org
