Paducah, KY – Paducah Cooperative Ministry announced that the 5th Annual Moonlight Ride held on July 28th set a record for the number of riders participating while raising more than $20,000 for PCM. “We are glowing with gratitude for our community,” said PCM Executive Director Heidi Suhrheinrich. The ride was presented by BikeWorld and Chain Reaction Cycling Club.
The unique nighttime event featured a concert and a “tailgating atmosphere” where groups and families gathered on the parking lot of the host site BikeWorld and enjoyed free ice cream courtesy of the Paducah Bank Ice Cream Truck; watermelon from First Baptist Church and even free commemorative buttons from the McCracken County Library.
The 10 p.m. ride took cyclists on a 10-mile leisurely route through Paducah, beginning and ending at BikeWorld. "The Moonlight Ride is just so much fun! The music, community involvement, and active participants all come together to form a brilliant evening,” said Justin Lewis, one of the ride organizers. Volunteers from the Paducah Police Department and the VIPS provided assistance at key intersections throughout the ride.
Local businesses provided the lion’s share of the money raised through sponsorships and in-kind donations. Those sponsors included: BFW -Marcum, Banterra Bank, Baptist Health Paducah, BikeWorld, Caring People Services, Chain Reaction Cycling Club, Gold Capital, Lamar Advertising Paducah, Linwood Metropolis, Mark Ashburn Attorney, Mid-South Construction, Mike Smith Toyota, Paducah Bank, Paducah Life Magazine, Paducah Printing, Supreme Automotive, Signet Federal Credit Union, Swift & Staley, Website Design Works, LLC, Waldon Educational Consultants, WKCTC, White Financial Services and WKMS.
The ride was organized by Chain Reaction Cycling Club members Erin and Justin Lewis, who had participated in several “glow bike rides” in larger cities. They, along with former PCM Board Member Stephanie Moss, pitched the idea to Martha Emmons and Hutch Smith, owners of Paducah’s BikeWorld. In 2014, the group brought the first “Moonlight Ride” to Paducah. Over the past five years, the bike ride has raised nearly $90,000 for Paducah Cooperative Ministry.