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By Larry Stombaugh
For the Clemmons Courier

The town of Lewisville has the iconic appeal of a small southern town, and it is surrounded by hundreds of acres of open space and tree-lined roads and streets. It will be an ideal setting for the first annual Lewisville Bike Event that is being sponsored by the Lewisville-Clemmons Chamber of Commerce on Saturday, May 22.

Meika Imes, who is the community and member relations manager for the chamber, came up with the idea for the event after talking to Garry Steele. He is a member of the organizing committee, and he has run a similar event for 11 years called the Tour of Farmington in Davie County. “I talked to Garry about the success of the Farmington event, and here came the idea for this one,” Imes said.

There will be three routes for the rides that will cover distances of 15, 30 and 60 miles. Where the routes will be has yet to be determined. Travis Beane who is the owner of  Clemmons Bicycle, will be mapping out the routes soon.

Riders will participate in a staggered start for safety reasons and to ensure that social distancing is in effect.

Ditra Miller, the CEO of the Lewisville-Clemmons Chamber of Commerce, is excited that the event will take place in Lewisville. “We have always had Clemmons Community Day” she said. “This will be a chance for us to celebrate Lewisville.”   She noted that it will be a great way to bring together the community and local businesses as she envisions the routes including a tour of Lewisville that will including riding by local businesses.

Mike Campbell is the executive director of Habitat for Humanity and the chairman of the planning committee for the bike event. He echoed Miller’s sentiments about showcasing Lewisville. “I chose to be chairman because I saw a chance to promote the town of Lewisville,” he said. “We’ll have the chance to show off the small-town atmosphere of Lewisville, and it will provide the opportunity to promote the small business that are there.”

Campbell noted that by using the Shallowford Square parking lot, it will show off some of the small businesses in that area.  “There are a lot of small businesses and a lot of entrepreneurship in that area that people don’t see or know about,” he said.

Participants in the Tour of Lewisville Bike Event will meet at Shallowford Square at 6555 Shallowford Road in Clemmons.  The event will take place rain or shine unless the weather is too inclement.

The cost for participants is $30 for whose who pre-register and $40 on the day of the event. All proceeds will benefit the Lewisville-Clemmons Chamber of Commerce to help in its role of supporting small business in the community

Both riders and volunteers are encouraged to bring non-perishable items that will be donated to food pantries in Lewisville.

For more information for participating or becoming a sponsor, contact the chamber at lewisville-clemmons.com or 336-970-5100.