Rolling back the years: Bellaire revives bike decorating tradition
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BELLAIRE -- Terriann Bonfini is setting out to bring back an old tradition during Bellaire High School's Homecoming parade.
A bicycle decorating competition will take place Sept. 11, with all nonmotorized bicycles, scooters, baby strollers, Big Wheels and other forms of nonmotorized transportation invited to participate. Participants will line up at Bellaire High School at 4:30 p.m.
Bonfini said the bicycle decorating contest will proceed behind the Homecoming queen candidates in the parade, which starts at 5 p.m.
She added that judging will take place on the Belmont Street sidewalk next to Union Park, which is beside the high school.
The winner will be selected by a panel of judges, but the competition also will have a People's Choice winner.
Parade spectators will be able to vote for their favorite bike by receiving a ticket and placing it in a bag corresponding to the contestant's number, which will be marked on the bike, in front of Leva's Jewelry.
"The entrant who has the most tickets will win the People’s Choice Award. Each of the winners gets $50 in cash. So there’s a total of $250 being given away as well as a free entry ticket to the homecoming football game, which starts at 7 p.m.," Bonfini said. "Line up at the park is 4:30 p.m. and judging is at 4:45 p.m. The parade then leaves the park and high school area at 5 p.m."
The contest is free to enter, but contestants must register beforehand at the provided Google Forms link or by searching "Bellaire Homecoming Bike Decorating Contest" on Facebook.
There will be five total winners: best girls' bike for ages 12 and under, best girls' bike for ages 13 and older, best boys' bike for ages 12 and under, best boys' bike for ages 13 and older and People's Choice.
Bonfini added that the contest has two themes that the bikes can be decorated as: either Bellaire pride or celebrating America.
She said that she wanted to host an America 250 event in Bellaire but then found a picture of herself as a child in The Times Leader showing her winning a bike decorating competition in 1956 in Bellaire and knew that it would be the perfect event for the community.
"We used to do this type of stuff all of the time when I was a kid. Everyone was proud of who they were and their hometown," Bonfini said. "Bellaire is actually having a rebirth. We have some absolutely amazing people who work so hard. They work beyond what you can imagine volunteering their time, and so many of them are behind the scenes that you don’t even see what they’re doing."
She added that she wants to bring back pride not only in the village but also in the country.
"I see more and more kids wanting to participate in things like this and that’s just why I wanted to do this," Bonfini said. "It lets everybody do their own little part to have a better community in which to live."
She added that this year will be the first bike decorating competition in the village in a very long time but hopes that it will become an annual event.
"We used to do things like this years and years ago. Everyone that I’ve spoken with has thought this is a great idea so this might be the first annual bike decorating contest," Bonfini said. "It all depends but I think it’s going to go really well and hopefully we’ll have good weather."
She added that the competition is rain or shine and doesn't have a rain date because it coincides with the school's Homecoming parade.
Bonfini said that the only way it would be canceled is if the parade and Homecoming game are canceled because of weather, but she believes the game would only be canceled if lightning is in the area.