Inspired by Harriet Tubman and her daring journeys to freedom on the Underground Railroad, Alpha Genesis Community Development Corporation (AGCDC) has announced a new adult bike ride in October to raise money for the Harriet’s Journey Home project.
The Bike the UGRR ride will be held October 16 and will take riders along and near the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Participants can choose either a 25-mile or 43-mile ride. Both will provide opportunities to stop at significant landmarks and sites along the UGRR Byway in Dorchester County to learn more about their historical significance.
Registration information is available online at biketheugrr.com.
Money raised from the event will support the Harriet’s Journey Home project, which seeks to raise $250,000 to commission, purchase and permanently install a bronze statue of Harriet Tubman at the Dorchester County Courthouse.
“This unique bike ride will follow the part of the UGRR through scenic marsh and farmlands, with rest stops at historic sites,” said Adrian Holmes, founder and president of AGCDC. “Cyclists will experience Harriet Tubman’s journeys along some of the same routes she would have followed, while helping to raise funds for the statue which will be installed in September 2022. This ride is one of the many community efforts, coordinated by Alpha Genesis CDC, to raise money and awareness of our rich heritage.”
The Bike the UGGR ride builds on the success of a Bike the Underground Railroad Byway Youth Ride in May. The biking events are one more way that the Harriet’s Journey Home project is continuing to build connections for the local community, as well as for the thousands of visitors who come to Maryland to experience the most powerful Underground Railroad storytelling destination in the world.
“The youth ride was a ‘feel-good’ type of event,” Holmes said. “So many wonderful community connections were made, and we have been asked to repeat the youth ride next year when we celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Harriet Tubman.”
The 9-mile youth ride that was held in May took participants from Cambridge South Dorchester High School to the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center. Along the route, the riders had the opportunity tour the Stanley Institute, hear about local farming at Emily’s Produce and learn local underground railroad history in Church Creek. At the Tubman Visitor Center activity stations included an archaeologist presentation and artifacts from the recent discovery of Harriet Tubman’s childhood home.
Additional information about participating in the October Bike the Byway event – either as a rider or a volunteer – is available online at biketheugrr.com. For information about how to donate for the Harriet’s Journey Home sculpture, visit the AGCDC website at alphagenesiscdc.org.
Details:
Bike the UGRR
October 16, 2021
Cambridge South Dorchester High School
2475 Cambridge Beltway
Cambridge, MD US 21613
25-Mile Ride or 43-Mile Ride
$50 per rider
Price increases after July 31, 2021
Registration & Information: biketheugrr.com
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