Bicycle Safety Festival Partners with Summer Reading Kickoff Celebration

Lafayette Consolidated Government, in partnership with Broussard & David, and BikeLafayette, is partnering to host the fourth annual Bicycle Safety Festival in conjunction with Lafayette Public Library's Summer Reading Kickoff Celebration. Both events are scheduled for Saturday, June 1. This is the second year that the planners of the Bicycle Safety Festival and Summer Reading Kickoff have combined forces for this fun, family-friendly day. Cycling and reading enthusiasts of all ages are invited to participate in the free events.

·         The Fourth Annual Bicycle Safety Festival is from 9 a.m. until 12 noon at Parc Putnam, located at 813 Lafayette St. in Lafayette (across from the Federal Courthouse).

·         A Universe of Stories Summer Reading Kickoff Celebration will take place at Parc Putnam and the Main Library, located at 301 W. Congress from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

The Bicycle Safety Festival organizers hope to make cycling in Lafayette safer for everyone by offering education and safety equipment to attendees. Free youth and adult, certified bicycle helmets will be given away to the first 300 participants, as well as free bike lights and tee shirts while supplies last. Festival-goers who complete a short bicycle safety course, led by trained volunteers, will be eligible to win a free bicycle, courtesy of Hub City Cycles and Bike Lafayette.

Attendees who ride to the Bicycle Safety Festival or bring their bikes can register them for free with the Lafayette Police Department, compliments of Broussard & David. In the event a bicycle is lost or stolen, registration makes owner identification easier when the bike is found or recovered.

Thanks to the generous support of the Broussard & David law firm, there is absolutely no charge to attend and participate in any of the activities at the fourth annual Bicycle Safety Festival. In sponsoring this event, the partners at Broussard & David hope to reduce preventable accidents through education and road safety training for bicyclists, motorists and pedestrians alike

"The aim of this event is to help cyclists and motorists become more knowledgeable about bicycle safety and the rules of the road," shared sponsor and organizer Blake David. "As Lafayette embraces a more bicycle-oriented mindset, bicycle awareness is becoming even more essential. Through this approach, we can make the roads safer for all users." For more information on the Bicycle Safety Festival, visit Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/1080049252181574/.

The Main Library will host A Universe of Stories Summer Reading Kickoff Celebration from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. In addition to the live performances by The Crescent Circus and Magician Mitch Richard, children can enjoy a fun jump, crafts, community fun with downtown organizations, as well as a special visit by Schoolhouse Safari.

Community organizations that will offer family-friendly activities include the Acadiana Center for the Arts, Children's Museum of Acadiana, Lafayette Science Museum, Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum, Deuxième Vie Creative, Alliance Française de Lafayette, AOC Community Media and more. Food trucks will be on-hand selling a variety of treats.

Children, teens and adults can join the Summer Reading Program now through July 31 at any library location or online at LafayettePublicLibrary.beanstack.org<http://lafayettepubliclibrary.beanstack.org/>. Read your favorite books, attend library programs, and earn prizes! The Summer Reading Program's theme this summer is space to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo Moon Landing. For details about the Summer Reading Program and Kickoff, visit LafayettePublicLibrary.org/summer<http://lafayettepubliclibrary.org/summer> or call 261-5779 or 981-1028.