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Three New Bicycle Racks At Midway Village Museum

Three New Bicycle Racks At Midway Village Museum
Midway Village Museum

Midway Village Museum

Posted On: July 31, 2020

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Three New Bicycle Racks At Midway Village Museum

Are A Result Of Community Spirit And Generous Donations!

Retirement did not slow down Retired Judge Patrick Yarbrough, 59, from pursing a new community program he calls a dream coming to fruition. Only a few months into retirement life, Patrick decided to create a community committee to make his new dream a reality.

As an avid bicyclist, he noticed a need in the Rockford area, a place where bikes can be parked and stored safety at area destinations for avid bicyclists, recreation bicyclists and families out on recreational rides. Patrick calls his dream a three-phase goal with Midway Village Museum, being one of three locations he noticed the need for bike racks in the community. As a member of the museum, he rode to a special event and realized there was no place to park, secure and store his bicycle besides a spot along the chain link fencing around the historic Victorian Village. That now, has changed, in a positive way with Patrick leading the way.

“I felt we could bring value to the museum and what it offers to our community, and being a part of I Bike Rockford I felt I could bring people in the community together to work on this project,” Patrick said. “Many people in the community bike ride for enjoyment, and the timing could not be better with people seeking additional outdoor activities in their leisure time because of the pandemic. The goal of I Bike Rockford is to get more people riding for fun, exercise and to encourage everyone to get to know their community better. Being able to provide access to bike racks on the museum grounds helps encourage residents to get out and learn more about area history.”

Patrick, a lifelong Rockford resident, Guilford High School and Ripon College graduate, began creating a group of community leaders he felt could move the project along just this past January. With snow on the ground, Patrick brought the committee together at Midway Village Museum to tour the museum campus to locate a possible area for a bike rack.

With more than 148-acres and numerous entry points to the grounds, three site locations were determined to be convenient and also visible to bicyclists coming to the museum. The three new bicycle racks will provide access to various entrance points at the museum including the Main Museum Center front entrance, the recreation path near the public restrooms and on the south side of the main parking lot near the historic village entrance. The museum project is the second of three destinations in Rockford to receive the bicycle racks. The Veterans Memorial Hall and the Ethnic Heritage Museum are the other two destinations. There is one rack for six bicycles already at Veterans Memorial Hall. Installation on the new bike racks continue with the concrete pads poured this week.

To start the fundraising campaign for the bike racks Patrick and his wife, Tammy, donated all the three bike racks to be located on the Midway Village Museum campus. The I Bike Rockford group, Rockford Bicycle Company and Kegels Bicycle Store gave financing to complete the project at the museum including the concrete work needed for the bike rack pads. The concrete work for the bike rack pads is by Paul LaBree of LaBree Concrete Inc.

The committee of community members include Patrick Yarbrough, I Bike Rockford; David Brynes, Midway Village Museum; Laurie Anderson, Rockford Park District; Robb Sinks, Kegels Bicycle Store; Ashley Sarver, Gary W. Anderson Architects and I Bike Rockford; Laura Furman, Midway Village Museum; Caitlin Treece, Midway Village Museum; Kevin Polaski, I Bike Rockford; Skip Stienecker, Rockford Bicycle Company; Theotis Glover, Rockford Park District; Jenny Johnson, Rockford Park District; Jocelyn Hare, Ethnic Heritage Museum; Jay Sandine, Rockford Park District; and Ian Linnabary, Reno Zahm, LLP.

“We hope many members of the community will utilize and enjoy the bike racks while attending events, visiting the exhibits at Midway Village Museum or when exercising on the recreation path,” said Patrick.”

Midway Village Museum is situated on 148-acres with a recreation path circling around the property which measures as a 1.4 mile loop. A new Perryville Road loop was completed last year linking to the original recreation path. On the far southeast side of the property situated at the corner of Guilford and Perryville Road is a resting area with a water fountain.

“The new bicycle racks will encourage more individuals to visit the museum, and spark an interest to come to those who may never have been to the museum before,” said David Byrnes, Executive Director, Midway Village Museum. “Outdoor recreation is very popular with more people than ever getting outdoors and riding bikes for exercise and for enjoyment. The timing is perfect to place these on the grounds as a way to invite more people to visit.”

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