Mayor John Tecklenburg will join Boston’s Reverend Laura Everett, author of “Holy Spokes: The Search for Urban Spirituality on Two Wheels,” city of Charleston director of Traffic and Transportation Keith Benjamin, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, and the Mayor’s Clergy Advisory Council for a “Blessing of the Bikes” event in honor of National Bike Month on Saturday, May 12 at 10 a.m. near the lagoon in Hampton Park.
The event, intended to promote bicycle safety in the city, will include a brief ceremony, followed by several area clergy offering prayers for the safety of bikers individually and in small groups. During the ceremony, Reverend Everett will exchange bicycle helmets with Mayor Tecklenburg on behalf of Boston Mayor Marty Walsh as a gesture promoting bicycle safety.
Following the ceremony, the Charleston Police Department will raffle off a youth bicycle, and the Recreation Department will host a variety of free activities throughout the park, including a scavenger hunt, caricatures, crafts, and lawn games.
Reverend Adam Shoemaker, rector of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, said, “St. Stephen’s is thrilled to help bring Rev. Laura to Charleston. My hope is that this event will both link the faith community with the cycling community and promote this important mode of transportation in our city.”