The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and various safety partners hosted a free children's bicycle rodeo today in connection with the Oil Heritage Festival in Oil City.
The rodeo took place in the parking lot between PennDOT District 1 office and the Crawford Area Transportation Authority (CATA) building in downtown Oil City. Children between the ages of 5 and 12 participated in the rodeo, which was designed to increase their interest in bicycling, educate them on proper safety requirements, and instill safe biking habits.
Bike and helmet inspections were conducted by the Venango County Sheriff's Office, while a free hot dog lunch was provided for everyone in attendance by State Rep. R. Lee James.
Ribbons were awarded to top three bicyclists in two age groups. Taking home first place in the 5 to 8 age group was 5-year-old Peyton Bialo of Oil City. Second place went to Samantha Bartlett of Oil City. Jase Stiglitz, 8, of Pleasantville, finished third.
Addisyn Campbell, 12 of Oil City, placed first among the 9 to 12-year-olds, followed by 10-year-old Mila Siembida of Oil City in second, and Sawyer Harriger, 11, of Oil City in third.
Bartlett and 2-year-old Logan Harriger, both of Oil city, were awarded bicycles through a random drawing. The bikes were donated by CATA.
The event was made possible by additional support from Keystone SMILES/AmeriCorps.
For more information on bicycle safety, including how to hold a backyard bike rodeo at home, visit www.PennDOT.pa.gov/safety.
Subscribe to PennDOT news and traffic alerts in Crawford, Erie, Forest, Mercer, Venango, and Warren counties at www.penndot.pa.gov/District1.
Follow local PennDOT news on Twitter and like the department on Facebook.
Contact: Saxon Daugherty, 814-678-7095
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