Bike-A-Thon to Raise Funds for The NEW Manchester Youth Orchestra

CAS kids pose with Mr. B and his Joybox Express when he made an appearance at a CAS benefit concert this spring.

Cultural Art Strings (CAS) is holding a Bike-a-Thon to support its newest ensemble, The Manchester Youth Orchestra. On Sunday, September 6th from 1-4 pm, CAS will ride around Manchester with athletic musical historian “Mr. B's Joybox Express.” Riders are invited to create their own team or ride on their own. All proceeds raised will benefit The Manchester Youth Orchestra Project which will combine the talents of area youth musicians ages 9-14 in one ensemble.

The Bike-a-Thon will start and end at Manchester United Methodist Church (MUMC). Registration begins at noon. The Advanced Ride starts at 1 pm with an 8 mile round trip to Alber's Orchard. The Easy Ride will begin at 2:30 pm and will be approximately 4 miles round trip to the Library through the streets around Alumni Field and back to MUMC. Riders are invited to join CAS for a leg of the ride, or the whole ride. Non-riders can meet CAS to listen to Mr. B at any of his stop-and-play locations: Alber's Orchard, the Library, Alumni Field or MUMC.

Both rides will be on open roads. The Easy Ride will have younger riders on available sidewalks located within the village. All riders will be required to follow local traffic laws. A village deputy will be on site to assist the riders when crossing from Hibbard to Duncan. Although both the Advanced Ride (for ages 12 and up) and the Easy Ride will have Bike Marshalls chaperoning all riders and assisting with safety concerns, it is recommended that children under the age of 9 should have an adult chaperone accompanying them. All riders will be required to sign a liability release the day of the event.

Advanced Registration can be done online HERE for $15 or register on site for $20. Fees cover t-shirt and administrative expenses. Riders can collect donations individually or as part of a team. Donations can be made directly on the website on behalf of an individual or team. All donations are tax-deductible and will benefit Cultural Art Strings' Manchester Youth Orchestra Project. Volunteers can register for various posts throughout the ride to hand out water, assist with registrations, or general assistance.

In case of inclement weather, the ride will be postponed to a later date. Announcements will be posted on the Eventbrite page and the CAS Facebook page.

The Manchester Youth Orchestra Project is partially funded by the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation. The AAACF recently conducted a study recognizing the tremendous effect the arts have in building a local economy. The Manchester Youth Orchestra Project hopes to not only bring young area musicians together, but in doing so they hope that the families traveling to Manchester for weekly rehearsals will spend time and dollars in Manchester. Recruitment efforts will begin in September and target areas surrounding Manchester such as Clinton, Napoleon, Brooklyn, Grass Lake, Tecumseh, Bridgewater, Chelsea, and Adrian. A conductor search will also take place in the coming months. Target start date for the youth orchestra will be January 2016.

Sponsors for the bike-a-thon include Aberdeen Bike & Outdoors, Safe Kids Huron Valley, U of M Pediatric Trauma.

Mr. B's Joybox Express is a 501(c)3 that raises money for charitable organizations that enhance the quality of children's lives, focusing on those that provide access to programs in the arts & athletics. With his piano bike, Mr. B leads bikers across the country to raise awareness about leading a healthy lifestyle and nourishing your artistic and musical abilities while performing for his fans and teaching crowds about the historical boogie woogie and blues styles.

The Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation enriches the quality of life in our region through its engaged grantmaking, knowledgeable leadership, and creative partnerships with donors.  Founded in 1963, AAACF has awarded more than $37 million in grants & scholarships and currently manages $77.6 million in total assets and more than 500 charitable funds on our community’s behalf.

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by Fritz Swanson

Fritz Swanson has written for The Believer, the Christian Science Monitor, Print Magazine, McSweeney's, Esopus, LSA Magazine, and The Mid-American Review. He serves as a trustee on the Manchester District Library Board. He's the designer and publisher of The Manchester Mirror.

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