More than 1,000 riders are expected this Saturday, Aug. 4, for the 8th annual Owl Ride, Omaha's nighttime urban cycling adventure. The unique recreational bike ride is the largest annual night bicycle ride between Chicago and Denver.
You can still register for the Owl Ride. Registrations will be taken right through the 9 p.m. start at owlride.org. The cost is $45 for adults and $25 for children 12 and under when riding with an adult, $50 and $30 the day of the event, with all riders guaranteed an Owl Ride sports shirt. There’s also a new 8 p.m. Owlet Ride that will let the youngest of kids on their bikes, trikes and big wheels join in the fun. Cost for the Owlet is $10.
This year's starlit ride starts at Lewis and Clark Landing on Omaha's riverfront. There's again a choice of a 17-mile course through Midtown, Dundee, Aksarben, Field Club and downtown, or a shorter, family friendly 7.5-mile course, making the Owl Ride a fun, active experience for riders of all ages and abilities.
Both rides are followed by an after party on the riverfront. Plenty of free parking is available at Lewis and Clark Landing and at the Gallup headquarters just off Abbott Drive. A map of the course is included with this release and also available online.
The Owl Ride is not only a fun event, it’s for a great cause, helping the non-profit Meyer Foundation for Disabilities improve the lives of adults with developmental disabilities in our community.
Almost everyone knows or went to school with someone who has Down syndrome, autism or some other disability. Did you know that as children with disabilities age out of the school system into adulthood, support for them and their families dries up, often leaving them socially isolated?
The Owl Ride gives these families a lift, providing recreational, social and life skills programs for young adults with disabilities, many delivered through UNMC’s renowned Munroe-Meyer Institute. When you register for Owl Ride, you help these young adults enjoy an evening of swimming or games with friends, or learn to cook for themselves. And you give their families a much-needed break from the role of 24/7 caregivers.
The costs of putting on the Owl Ride are covered by its sponsors, allowing every dollar of registration fees to go directly to the Meyer Foundation for Disabilities and its services.
This year’s sponsors include: Fruitful Design, Union Pacific Railroad, Owen Industries, Omaha Steaks, the Munroe-Meyer Institute, Kutak Rock, Children’s Hospital & Medical Center, Brickway Brewing, Alley-Poynter Macchietto Architecture, Dundee Bank, Securities America, Holland Basham Architects, Five Points Bank, Ideal Pure Water, Papillion Sanitation, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Hy-Vee, the Field Club of Omaha, Aksarben Village, Noddle Companies, Midtown Crossing and the Omaha Pedalers Bicycle Club.
Munroe-Meyer Institute is committed to unlocking the potential of children and adults with developmental disabilities and genetic disorders through exceptional patient care, education and research. MMI provides more than 70,000 services annually to children and adults with special needs.
We are Nebraska Medicine and UNMC. Our mission is to lead the world in transforming lives to create a healthy future for all individuals and communities through premier educational programs, innovative research and extraordinary patient care.