Collectors items, exciting trips, and great bikes are yours for the bidding at the 13th Annual Alice Awards and Auction
Posted by: KristieMar 03 2008, 3:27 pm
One of Oregon’s greatest bike bashes is just around the corner: the BTA’s Alice Awards & Auction. The event will be held Saturday, March 22nd, at the Oregon Convention Center. Buy your tickets now at www.aliceawards.org.
This annual event—in its 13th year—is a celebration of unity and commitment to making bicycling easier, safer, and more accessible for people of all ages and abilities.
This year’s theme, “Alice in Paris,†is a tribute to Sunday Parkways and city-sponsored bike rental programs—both already established in the City of Lights and coming soon to the City of Roses.
In keeping with this theme, we’ll be auctioning off a retired bike from Paris’ “velib†bike rental program. This bike is a true collector’s item and comes complete with authentic Parisian insignia, basket, and bell. And you must hear this bell!
This bike comes courtesy of the amazing folks behind Library Bikes, based in Arcata, CA. Library Bikes Director Bill Burton was in Portland late last week to submit a bid for the city’s bike rental system. When Bill rolled up in front of the BTA office with his truck full of Velib’s retired fleet, our office emptied. Staffer after staffer streamed out onto NW Fifth Avenue to chat up Bill, pick his brain, and take a spin on one of his bikes. Thus, a donation was born!
Our sincere thanks to Bill Burton and Library Bikes for their work on making our world a more bike-friendly place and for this one-of-a-kind donation.
If you’d like to have your very own authentic Velib bike, you'll need to come to the auction to bid on it. So please reserve your ticket now for the Alice Awards & Auction.
To learn more about bike rental programs in Portland, see Jonathan Maus's report at bikeportland.org.
Stay tuned for future posts about other cool auction items.
I'm sure Bill Burton told you that Arcata Library Bikes has been closed for months.
The location depicted on their website is now a medical cannabis clinic/Mexican restaurant.
Mar 03 2008 at 4:31 pmhmmm… interesting, Kevin. What is the story there? Did he decide to relocate his business to Portland? Was it unsuccessful in Arcata? Was his love for bikes surpassed by a love for chalupas and burritos? Inquiring minds want to know the story behind your post.
Mar 04 2008 at 3:51 amSmall correction: the bike is not from the Velib program, it's from Velib's precursor which was called Roue Libre (as seen in the photo above).
Mar 06 2008 at 8:58 am