That means getting there early, getting the sunshade, table, handouts, and chairs set up, and then just hanging out and keeping an eye on the bicycles (a few baby strollers too) for people while they shop.We've encouraged other non-profit groups in the area to sign up to "help" staff our valet booth and information display (when telling another group I'm active in about helping, one elderly lady thought I said bicycle ballet - which made for a rather confusing discussion until we sorted that out). Last weekend, a friend active in Parks for Paws, a group advocating for establishing a permanent dog park in town, joined me. We enjoyed visiting with each other, and friends and neighbors there to shop, listening to the live music, and telling shoppers about our respective projects.
Awesome concept. Our local bike association hosts Friday bike supports for people working in downtown - helps them navigate routes from all the surrounding towns, preparing a sunshade/table like you described, provides refreshments (even simply water is appreciated!) and generally helps people see that biking as a way of traveling is possible.
ReplyDeleteHow nice that you could find another group to meet with on projects. Even though they are different, seeing people involved in the community somehow seems to motivate me to be involved too.