Fireworks, food trucks and a whole lot of history will be on display Friday and Saturday during the Shelby Bicycle Days.
The midway will be open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday in downtown Shelby.
There will be a parade that will travel along Main and Gamble streets starting at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Fireworks will be launched Saturday night at dark.
This year’s event will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Shelby Cycle Company, recognizing the beginning of its production of complete bicycles in 1925.
“Let us forever remember the ingenuity, dedication and entrepreneurial spirit that defined this pivotal chapter in Shelby’s history,” Mayor Steve Schag said.
Family fun throughout the day Friday and Saturday
The first event of the weekend will be a “Spokes and Floats” educational seminar at 6 p.m. Thursday at Marvin Memorial Library.
The history lessons will continue with an open house at the Shelby Bicycle Museum at the Shelby Justice Center 6-9 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.
Several bicycle events for children will take place on a continuing basis throughout the weekend.
Friday afternoon’s attractions will include: a balloon artist from 1-4 p.m., a DJ from 3-8:30 p.m., a dunk tank from 4-8 p.m., an inflatable zone for children from 5-11 p.m. and a kids’ touch-a-truck from 6-7:30 p.m.
The day’s Black Fork Commons Amphitheater main events will be a dance performance at 3 p.m., Michael Mage the Magician at 4:30 p.m. and live music by Tom’s Kitchen Table at 8:30 p.m.
Saturday will begin with a Lindy Flyer bike tour at 8:30 a.m. and the Shelby Farmer’s Market at 9 a.m.
Saturday’s attractions will include: a kids’ bike clinic and a bike decorating contest 11 a.m. to noon, an inflatable zone for children 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., a dunk tank 3-8 p.m., a DJ 4-9 p.m. and a kids’ bike challenge 5-6:30 p.m.
The parade begins 2 p.m. Saturday with the “Whiz Bang Science Show” and the “Shelby Help Line Pie Auction” both immediately after.
The band “Gone Sovereign” will play the Black Fork Commons Amphitheater at 7:30 p.m.
Fireworks begin at dusk Saturday.
Shelby was known as a world leader in bicycle production
Mayor Steve Schag has issued a proclamation about the Shelby Cycle Company and “The Whippet” bicycle model that made the Richland County city known worldwide a century ago.
“The Whippet name, originally proposed by salesman George Evans in honor of the nimble racing dog, also became a source of local pride famously adopted by the Shelby High School basketball team in 1927-28 and the track team in 1929, and solidified in football lore when a sports writer noted players ran ‘like whippets,'” Schag noted.
The company’s 400 employees produced 500 bicycles a day and more than 200,000 bikes each year.
The company’s success led to its sale and relocation in 1953, but the bicycle industry’s impact on Shelby is remembered during Bicycle Days every summer.
ztuggle@gannett.com
419-564-3508
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Fireworks and fun this weekend during Shelby Bicycle Days
Reporting by Zach Tuggle, Mansfield News Journal / Mansfield News Journal
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