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Blue Bag Media
Riders make
GOBAville third largest town in Darke County
By Ryan Berry
Photos by Bob Robinson
6/23/2013
GREENVILLE – The grounds of the Greenville High School was transformed
into a tent city on June 18 when approximately 2300 bicyclists with the
Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure (GOBA) made a stop in Greenville. These
riders were part of GOBA’s 25th anniversary ride that began on June 15
in Urbana with stops in Troy, Greenville, New Bremen, and Sidney. The
ride concluded in Urbana on June 22. To put the number of riders into
perspective, if the camping area, coined GOBAville, would have been a
town it would have been the third largest community in Darke County
behind Greenville and Versailles.
Although the majority call Ohio home, riders were welcomed from across
the United States and from as far away as Japan and Switzerland. Riders
ranged in age from infant to 86 years of age. A 12-year old rider
claimed he was on his 14th GOBA event. His mother was pregnant with him
when he participated in his first event and was on the ride shortly
after he was born. He was proud to point out that he can now ride his
own bicycle and doesn’t have to be carried around anymore.
Planning for the Greenville portion of the event began in December 2012
and committees for entertainment, information, food, transportation,
and emergency planning began meeting in late January 2013. Hundreds of
volunteers assisted from unloading trucks to manning various tents,
such as information and medical to providing traffic control in the
camping area. Leading the committees were Deanna York and Betty Birt,
co-chairpersons.
GOBA riders spoke highly of Greenville and some intend to return, Birt
said, “The volunteers working the entrance to GOBAville stated that a
number of people said they plan to return with their families when they
have more time to spend seeing the sites in Darke County. One of the
downtown shop keepers told me that a biker expressed his wish that they
had a two-night stay-over in Greenville instead of just one night.”
Birt continued, “I think GOBA went well, very well! GOBA likes to
support not-for-profits and I know that most of the vendors at the high
school did well. Many sold out. In my mind, it has to be an economic
win for all of the non-profits and shops that participated.”
While many of the GOBA riders took advantage of the services and food
offered at GOBAville from local non-profit vendors, others ventured out
and visited the downtown area.
According to Amber Garrett, executive director for Main Street
Greenville, "Downtown Greenville was excited to be a part of the GOBA
visit this week. The business owners decorated their windows, offered
specials, and welcomed riders for a great evening.” Riders also took
advantage of the specials offered by downtown businesses, “Twenty-two
downtown businesses collaborated with Main Street Greenville to present
a Downtown Happy Hour from 4-6 p.m., with many other businesses staying
open a little later than normal. It is important to the GOBA riders to
support local businesses in the communities they visit. It was apparent
on Tuesday and Wednesday morning, with many businesses reporting
excellent sales during the event downtown."
In addition to Greenville benefiting from GOBA’s visit to Darke County,
several groups offered lunch stations in Versailles as the riders
passed through and a group from Ansonia offered a breakfast for riders
as they were leaving the county.
A few kids along the route set up a lemonade stand in the front yard of
their grandmother’s house. Riley, Cooper and Meredith Hunt made sure
the riders got their fill of liquids while they stopped to relax under
the big shade tree in the front yard. Their grandmother, Cindy Hunt,
pointed out the kids always wanted to do a lemonade stand, but living
in the country they never had the opportunity. She was working in her
garden when the first riders went through and the kids had just been
dropped off at her house for the day. She suggested they do a lemonade
stand.
They offered the drinks for free, but a lot of the riders offered
donations. Riley, age 11, hasn’t decided what she will do with her
share, but it might possibly be saved for college or given to the Grace
Resurrection Community Food Bank for the BackPack program.
Published courtesy
Blue Bag Media
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