Once again, the first Sunday in August saw over 200 cyclists travel to Greenville for the 2nd annual “Tour de Darke”. Hosted by Darke County Parks and Presenting Sponsors Choice One Engineering & American Legion Post #140 Greenville, this cycling event has had a great first couple of years and the parks are excited to have similar numbers as the inaugural event.
This “Tour” brings bike riders from all over Darke, Miami, Montgomery counties, and beyond! There were even some who traveled from out of state, including IN, IL, KY, and TX! Most of these visitors were excited to enjoy local businesses before and after the event and many had never been to the parks or Darke County before.
Each year the proceeds from this event go towards the Tecumseh Trail bikeway to help maintain and update the trail system. Funds from last year’s event have been put towards the new wayfinding signposts! Nine of these new directional signs are being installed along the bike trail from the eastern terminus in Gettysburg stretching all the way to the western trail terminus in Greenville by the Garst Museum. Not only will these signs allow for trail users to know where they are and how far they’ve traveled, they will also allow for EMS to have a direct location for each sign to assist those in need. “I’ve been working towards signage such as this for our bike path for many years and I’m thrilled that the Tour was able to provide the funding for this project,” states Robb Clifford, Director Designate of the park district, “allowing trail users to easily know where they are along the trail will be very useful as trail use continues to increase both for locals and visitors.”
Darke County Parks would like to thank their sponsors for the “Tour de Darke” event including presenting sponsors, Choice One Engineering, and American Legion Post #140 Greenville. The Parks are also very grateful to other sponsors, the Darke County Visitor Bureau, GNB Banking Centers, Wayne Healthcare, Twenty One Barrels, Dave Knapp Ford, and DOSS Business Systems. These sponsors help immensely with the operation of this event and their support is much appreciated.
To contact the Darke County Park District regarding upcoming events or programs, please visit us online at darkecountyparks.org or contact the park offices at 937-548-0165.