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Community Corner

Volunteers Corral Bikes at the Fiesta

Local volunteers help turn Labor Day Fiesta Hermosa into a bike-happy zero-emission happening, and have fun along the way.

As I left my house at noon and rode my bike from the start of the bike path on the beach in Torrance to Scotty's on the Strand in Hermosa Beach, the marine layer threatened to make it a gray, wintry day. 

I worried about people not wanting to ride their bicycles to the first day of the weekend's Fiesta Hermosa and opting for their cars instead. 

But just as my one o'clock bike valet volunteer shift was starting, the sun quickly burned the fog away and it wasn't long before a picture-perfect blue sky arrived, as if ordered by the Chamber of Commerce. 

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And, everywhere you looked, were people on their bikes.

The mood at the newly christened "Bike Corral" was just as bright and cheery as the Saturday morning shift team gave us their update on how well everything was going at our new location, which was right on the sand just south of the Pier. 

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The corral was already about half-filled just a couple of hours after opening, but the expanded size and well-planned layout made it easy to park every manner of bike, and more importantly, made it a breeze to retrieve your bike and exit when you were ready to go.

With four-person volunteer teams working three-hour shifts each, fortified by the three-man staff from Hermosa Cyclery, including two of the co-owners, Steve Collins and Ken Liebowitz, there was no waiting for the hundreds who took advantage of the free parking and security offered by the bike valet.

The valet ran smoothly. Many bicyclists were able to take advantage of the air compressors Hermosa Cyclery had on site to get their tires properly inflated.  Liebowitz and Collins made plenty of free adjustments to people's bikes all day long, too. You can imagine how crowd-pleasing that was.

Those of us working at the bike valet were the beneficiaries of a steady stream of compliments, smiles and appreciation, making this volunteer gig one of the most positive, uplifting and fun assignments of them all. 

The strong spirit of community was felt throughout our bike-filled corner of the world, and I don't think I've ever had a better time at the Fiesta - not even in the beer garden.

The secondary benefit that I never expected when I started working with the South Bay Bicycle Coalition last year is the satisfying social interaction and sheer joy that comes from volunteering.

Nowhere have I felt that stronger or enjoyed it greater than parking other people's bikes for free at the Fiesta Hermosa bike valet lot. 

As a climate activist, my overriding mission is to cut greenhouse gas emissions every way I can. Every single person who chose to ride their bike to Fiesta Hermosa instead of driving their car was a small victory for that cause.

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