Snag a great deal, learn where to ride at this bike swap meet
On March 26, you’ll want to come to the annual bike swap meet at St. Patrick’s County Park in South Bend if you’ve got that itch to ride but just aren’t sure how or where to safely start.
You may need an actual bike. Or you’re not sure whether Aunt Peggy’s old 1982 Schwinn with the rusty chain and the cracked tires can be salvaged — or traded for something sleeker.
You may not know whether you need a hybrid bike or mountain bike or a classic road bike with the handlebars that curve downward.
It could be that you’ve been trying to sell your late uncle’s sweet, shiny Bianchi racer, but you haven’t placed an ad yet. Not to forget the boxes of pedals and bike doodads that he left behind.
Or your little ones are finally ready to ride on the sidewalk.
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I’ve seen scenarios just like these at each of the annual swap meets, where sellers and buyers will pack the park’s spacious red barn to nose around and make deals.
You’ll also find officers of two local bike clubs — sponsors of this swap meet — that are your best go-to resources for finding safe local places to ride.
The Michiana Bicycle Association leads weekly bike rides on paved trails and roads throughout the year. On April 3, it will begin weekly leisure rides that are intended for all skill levels, departing at 6 p.m. each Monday. The group follows paved bike trails, typically riding toward Niles and back, though you can go whatever distance suits you. The group stays together at a pace that’s good for everyone.
The MBA, started in 1974, also has rides on weekends and some weekdays with a rotating schedule of starting points across Michiana. Helmet use is required on all rides.
The swap meet’s other sponsor, the Northern Indiana Mountain Bike Association, holds group rides and work sessions that begin in April to maintain six local mountain bike trails.
Bikes and skis
∎ Bike swap meet: The swap meet will run from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 26 in the big red barn at St. Patrick’s County Park, 50651 Laurel Road, South Bend. Those who are selling anything should come between 10:45 and 11:30 a.m. to set up because table space will be first come first served. Dress for the weather. The barn isn’t heated. The event is free, and there won’t be a park entry fee (the fee returns on weekends and holidays April 1 through Oct. 31).
∎ Used ski sale: Also on March 26, St. Patrick’s County Park will piggyback on the bike swap meet and sell off its used Salomon cross-country skis and boots from noon to 4 p.m. in the park’s white barn. Expect some great bargains — a head start on next winter’s ski season. Boots are in good condition; some were never used. Don’t expect too many poles.
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∎ Melting Mann: Online registration closes at 5 p.m. today for this bike race on mostly dirt and gravel roads, which departs March 25 for the first time ever out of Swiss Valley Ski & Snowboard Area in Jones. But, with roughly 670 racers signed up as of Monday morning, you can still register at packet pickup from 4 to 7 p.m. March 24 or on the morning of the race, both at Swiss Valley. Choose from routes of 24, 35 or 60 miles. Cost is $80. Details are at meltingmann.com.
‘Bike friendly business’
Speaking of great bike resources for answering questions, the South Bend Bike Garage has gained gold status as a bike friendly business from the League of American Bicyclists. It was awarded this winter, making it the only local entity to reach gold in our area.
The League’s bike-friendly status ranges from bronze to platinum (the next step up after gold), honoring businesses, organizations and governmental bodies who not only make it possible to travel by bike but encourage it.
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South Bend Bike Garage is an all-volunteer, bike co-op where you can buy a fixed-up used bike or where you can earn one by volunteering your time to help. You’ll learn basic bike maintenance by fixing up your future bike. It opens from 5 to 8 p.m. each Wednesday at Indiana 933 and Angela Boulevard, where the East Bank Trail crosses.
Also this winter, the city of Goshen earned the League’s bronze as a bike friendly business. Among other measures, the city touts the electric bikes that employees can use during work hours and parking areas for their bikes.
Other businesses have grabbed silver and bronze in Michiana in recent years. Link to a full nationwide list in this column online.
Counting spring birds from a tower
Spring began on the calendar Monday, but, since March 10, Kyle Wiktor had already been documenting the arrival of migratory birds from a unique tower at Indiana Dunes State Park in Chesterton. Perched on a dune bluff, above the beach parking lot, the tower lifts bird watchers for an open view of the avian highway that follows the Lake Michigan coast.
On the Indiana Dunes Longshore Flight Survey blog, you can follow Wiktor’s observations and bird counts as he visits the tower regularly through the end of May, which is about the end of spring migration.
The March 15 post noted few birds on a cold day, although he spied 16 red-throated loons and a peregrine falcon and, making the trip worthwhile, a northern goshawk, which isn’t seen every year. The March 17 post reported 50 different species and a total of 2,945 birds, including the season’s first yellow-bellied sapsucker and belted kingfisher. On March 19, Wiktor mostly counted gulls, 779 of them.
Wiktor has been doing the counts and filling the blog on his own for the past several years. Find the blog and its data at indianadunesbirding.wordpress.com.
The publicly accessible tower can be climbed either by stairs or a wheelchair ramp.
On and off trails
∎ Timberdoodle dance: Join a naturalist to learn about and perhaps see the American woodcock, aka Timberdoodle, and the “sky dance” that this bird performs to attract mates from 7:15 to 8:45 p.m. March 26 at St. Patrick’s County Park in South Bend. Cost is $5. Meet at the white barn. The same event was booked for March 25 but filled up; so this bonus date was added. Register by 4:30 p.m. March 22 at 574-654-3155 or bendixwoods@sjcparks.org.
∎ Run Happy 50K: This 50K — yes, 50 kilometers — will indeed have shorter distances on March 25, too, though all of them will completely be on trails at Potato Creek State Park in North Liberty. Opt for a half marathon ($35), 10K ($30) or 5K ($25) as well, while the 50K (are you ready for it?) costs $40. All proceeds benefit Camp Millhouse for folks with special needs. To register, find a link here in this column online.
∎ Youth turkey hunts: Youths under age 18 can apply now through March 31 for reserved youth turkey hunts on select Indiana Department of Natural Resources properties during a two-day season: April 22-23. Youths or an adult representing them must register in person or by phone during business hours at the property where they wish to hunt. The properties include Jasper-Pulaski, Kingsbury, LaSalle, Pigeon River and Winamac fish and wildlife areas, among others. For rules and details, visit a DNR website link in this column online.
Find columnist Joseph Dits on Facebook at SBTOutdoorAdventures or 574-235-6158 or jdits@sbtinfo.com.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Bike swap meet returns to St. Patrick's County Park South Bend
