Scoops 4 Stephanie Bicycle Tour August 22
By Dan Sheridan
Originally Published in Marion Star June 28, 2009
An ice cream ride among four friends in the summer of 2008 has grown into Marion County’s newest bicycle tour.
Alice Piacentini explained “In the summer of 2008, I got some friends together for a fun 40 mile bicycle ride from our house to dairy bars in Waldo, Prospect, Richwood, and Green Camp before heading back home.”
Piacentini and her three companions, Ann Baker, Andrew Baker, and Megan Gorby, told many friends about the trip. When acquaintances expressed interest in joining then on a similar journey, the four decided to start an annual ride as a fundraiser for a scholarship fund. After discussion, they selected the Stephanie K. Lust Memorial Scholarship as the beneficiary.
Stephanie Lust died in a tragic automobile accident shortly after her graduation from Pleasant High School in 2004. A scholarship fund was established in her name at the Marion Community Foundation. This fund was a natural choice for Piacentini’s group, since Ann Baker is a close friend of Lust’s aunt.
The ride will start at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church at 135 Main Street in Waldo on Saturday, August 22. Registration is from 9 to 11 a.m., and riders may start between 10 and 11 am.
Riders may choose one of three routes: 16, 30, or 40 miles. All routes will stop at dairy bars, and each dairy bar will offer a reward to the riders. These rewards have not been finalized yet, but may include ice cream discount coupons or drinks. Fruit and water will be available at additional snack stops, and other items may be purchased at the dairy bars.
The 16 mile “family fun route” will stop at the Waldo and Prospect Dairy Bars, and will include one additional snack stop.
The 30 mile route travels from Waldo to Richwood before heading to Prospect and back to Waldo. Riders may visit dairy bars in Richwood, Prospect, and Waldo, and also will have snack stops in Richwood and Prospect.
The 40 mile route visits the same towns as the 30 mile route, but also visits Green Camp. Riders on this route can visit four dairy bars and three snack stops.
Piacentini especially enjoys the quiet river road along the east bank of the Scioto River south of Prospect. Cyclists on the 30 and 40 mile route will travel this section.
Organizers will provide maps for riders, in addition to a well-marked route. Support vehicles will cruise all routes in case riders need assistance.
Fees for cyclists who register by July 28th are $12 for adults and $10 for children aged 11 to 17. After that date, rates are $15 for adults, $12 for ages 11 to 17. Children aged 10 and under ride for free.
Cyclists who register by July 28th can also order a commemorative cotton t-shirt for $15, or a moisture wicking “tech shirt” for $25. Piacentini says “Both shirts will feature the Scoops logo, as well as an ice cream cone with a scoop for each town. This design also has a lei on it to highlight Stephanie’s Hawaiian background. The back of the shirt will have a cow holding ice cream and will feature the names of the 4 dairy bars, as well as any other sponsors who donate at a certain level.”
Joel Swaney, a Mount Union College student who received the Stephanie Lust scholarship in 2008, said “This scholarship is a great way to honor Stephanie, as well as motivate high school students to be active in the community and live their lives with respect. I was honored that the Lust family and the Marion Community Foundation felt I was qualified to represent them.”
More information, including an application, is available at www.scoops4stephanie.com, or at Rocky’s Cyclery in Marion. Prospective cyclists or volunteers may contact Piacentini via the web site for additional information
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