— It’s back.  After a one-year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic, River’s Edge Hospital and the St. Peter Police Department will once again host the annual Bike Safety Rodeo.

The event is set to take place on Saturday, May 22 from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at the River’s Edge Hospital south parking lot.  Stephanie Holden, Chief Experience Officer at River’s Edge Hospital and Janet Ireland, Community Service Officer at the St. Peter Police Department have been working on plans to host a safe event, keeping all COVID-19 best practices at the forefront.

“The pandemic got a lot of people out on bikes last year and we felt it was important to make sure the kids in our surrounding communities have what they need to be safe when they’re riding,” Ireland said.

At the Bike Rodeo, kids ages 0-17 will receive a free bike helmet.  Additionally, there will be a bike safety course set up with officers on hand to help kids learn the rules of the road.  Representatives from Nicollet County Public Health and St. Peter Community Center will have tables set up with program information for families to pick up.

The event will be held outside and River’s Edge Hospital asks that everyone in attendance practice social distancing and wear a mask.

“It is important to us to keep the community healthy in every way we can.  We expect many to attend the event and social distancing and mask wearing is an important piece of the success of the event,” Holden said.

The 2021 Bike Rodeo is a rain or shine event.  In the event of rain, the event will move to the park shelter at Gault Park, located at 1901 North Sunrise Drive and only bike helmets will be given out.  The Bike Rodeo is made possible with funds from the St. Peter Tourism and Visitor Bureau and the Carl and Verna Schmidt Foundation.

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River’s Edge Hospital & Clinic provides a wide range of healthcare services, combining state-of-the-art technology with compassionate care, collaboration, integrity and stewardship. River’s Edge Hospital is an equal opportunity employer and provider.