Upcoming Bicycle Second Line to Gentilly Festival & Lafitte Corridor Meetings

As listed by Anna Shults in her thoughtfully discerned selection of only the crème de la crème of weekend happenings about town, The Vie Side, Bike Easy is hosting a Bicycle Second Line to the 5^th Annual Gentilly Festival this Sunday, Oct 7^th from 10 am until 12 pm. Instead of buck-jumpin’, participants will be bike-ridin’ to the groove of The Pocket Aces Brass Band who will be keeping the beats big but the pace easy as they let the good times roll through Gentilly and the surrounding neighborhoods.

The 8-mile route begins at Pontchartrain Park and, after stops along the way including the UNO Rec Center and Daddy’s Donuts off of Gentilly Blvd., will conclude back at the Park with Gentilly Festival in full swing. It will be a great way to experience all the perks of bicycle riding such as minimizing traffic and parking issues as well as experiencing the sights, sounds and people of Gentilly with the added bonus of supporting the resurgence of the quintessentially New Orleans neighborhood and its Festival.

Being a bona fide second line parade, anyone is welcome to participate and may join the ride at any point along the route. However, the Bicycle Second Line supports Gentilly Festival and is Bike Easy’s primary method of fundraising, a donation of $15 per each Bike Easy member and $25 per each non-member participant is recommended. Riders may pre-register online until midnight tonight or may register day-of on Sunday beginning at 9 am in Pontchartrain Park before the ride. In addition to all the fun, paid second-liners will receive a t-shirt, refreshments, and coverage by Bike Easy’s insurance. There are group rates available as well.

For more information on the Bicycle Second Line to Gentilly Festival and Bike Easy’s mission to make cycling in metro New Orleans safer, easier, and more fun check out their websites at www.bikeeasy.org and www.gentillyfest.com.

Shifting gears to slightly less fun (maybe) though no less important or exciting matters, the final round of public meetings on the Lafitte Corridor Connection will be held next week on Tuesday night at the Sojourner Truth Neighborhood Center (2200 Lafitte St.) and then again on Thursday night at the First Grace United Methodist Church (3401 Canal St.). Each meeting will take place from 6 pm – 8 pm following an open house beginning at 4 pm.

The final round of meetings is designed to display and discuss the most current Greenway Master Plan and Corridor Revitalization Plan. The meetings will afford attendees the opportunity to a final look at the greenway vision and design recommendations for operation and maintenance as well as a chance to review the revitalization policies and future implementations steps prior to preparing the construction documents.

For more information about the Lafitte Greenway and Corridor Revitalization Plans, especially those planning to attend, visit www.nola.gov/lafittegreenway. You may also call (504) 592-1800 or email lafittegreenway@nola.gov.