Bike Bash Brewing

Celebrate cycling with a little bit of silliness at the upcoming Bike Prom. You're watching the "Local News Network" brought to you by Tafoya Barrett and Associates and the FLC Center for Innovation. I'm Connor Shreve. Back for a second year, the Bike Prom is moving locations to The Powerhouse Science Center in Durango.

It is so much fun. So last year, we did a group ride from Buckley Park to Lola's and then we had a live DJ, and everyone was dressed up and dancing and drinks and food. And it was just so much fun.

There will be a pre-party, bike parade, music, and dancing. It's built as the public high school, low-budget prom you always loved and never knew you needed.

The idea is to have Prom, but for me, I want it to be really funky and silly and fun. So, you know, I hope that people get these like ridiculous outfits from the thrift store or whatever, or you know, really nice dresses and suits. And I think the key part of it is doing the group ride to say like, "Hey, you can wear a dress or a nice suit or heels or whatever and ride a bike, it's fine."

The event wasn't necessarily intended to be an annual one, but Derge says the support she got from the community made it happen.

And so I had to put it together really fast and I don't think the word spread and I was just really tired afterwards. I was like, "I'm never doing that again." And, of course, you know, time's coming up and, you know, I'm getting emails and messages and people will be like, "So is Bike Prom happening again?"

So there will once again be a Bike Prom King and Queen in 2024. Derge recognizes Durango's bike scene is in a league of its own, but says this is about celebrating a cycling subculture.

The purpose of these events is so that us casual cyclists and us people who like bikes but don't want to race them, can meet each other and say like, "Hey, I'm not the only one who doesn't want to race, but enjoys bikes and just have fun and meet each other and create a community."

She promises a funky blend of music, awkward dancing, and bad decorations. You could buy tickets on the Bike Durango website. For more information about this and other stories, visit durangolocal.news. Thanks for watching this edition of the "Local News Network." I'm Connor Shreve.