By Lindsey Rowland
lrowland@wbcowqel.com
Bucyrus has always been a gem in the heart of North Central Ohio, and this Friday and Saturday the community will be showing off its highlights for over 2,000 bicyclists with the Great Ohio Bike Adventure. The cyclists ride through and stay the night, taking the opportunity to experience all that Bucyrus has to offer.
GOBA is an annual one-week bicycle tour, held each June, that loops its way around Ohio. This year, the route, which changes every year, features Mansfield, Orrville, Coshocton, Mount Vernon, and Bucyrus. Participants, which range everywhere from toddlers to seniors, will get a taste of all the exciting tourist destinations that each stop on the tour boasts, with the ultimate goal to learn more about Ohio and to promote bicycle culture and raise funds for bike related projects all over the state.
When the cyclists hit Bucyrus, they will be camping overnight in the fairgrounds and will be given the opportunity to take advantage of our city. In addition to some features at the fairground, including food and the Crawford County Museum of Agriculture, visitors to Bucyrus will be provided with shuttle buses and given tours of all the food, shopping, and tourist destinations that include such things as Carle’s Bratwurst, The Crazy Fox and Speakeasy, both the Great American Crossroads and Liberty Remembers murals, The Bucyrus Public Library and Courthouse, D. Picking & Co. Copper Kettle Factory, Cooper’s Mill, and much more.
Barb Glowaski, executive director of the Bucyrus Tourism and Visitors Bureau, is excited to see GOBA roll through Bucyrus.
“We’ve been trying to get GOBA for quite a few years, so to finally have them here is great for our community,” Glowaski said, “And we’re rolling out the red carpet.”
Ultimately, having GOBA visitors could benefit Bucyrus in big ways.
“We want everyone to have their happy face on and welcome everybody to Bucyrus. There could be upwards of 2,000 people here, so it’s really great for us to be able to showcase all that Bucyrus has to offer and to try to get these people to come back and visit us another time.”
There will be a Chris Cakes pancake breakfast open to the entire community as well as the riders from 5:30 to 8:30 Saturday morning at the fairgrounds. Cost for the all-you-can-eat breakfast is $5 with proceeds going to the Bucyrus Tourism and Visitors Bureau.