Can you believe it? November is here already. Here is the November shop schedule:
Sundays – November 2, 16, 23, and 30 – Shop open noon to 4 PM (Shop closed November 9)
Tuesdays – November 11, 18, and 25 – Shop open 7 PM to 9 PM (shop closed November 4)
Thursdays – November 13 and 20 – Shop open 7 PM to 9 PM (shop closed November 6 and 27)
Saturday – November 29 – Shop open 10 AM to 4 PM for BLITZ!!
Yes, November is here, which means to start planning for BLITZ! This is always on the Saturday after Thanksgiving and involves repairing as many bicycles as we can on that day for the United Way/St. Paul Pioneer Press Holiday Wishes Program. This year we have requests for 52 bicycles, so our work is cut out for us. Actually, we will do some of these ahead of time, but there still will be plenty of them to fix on the 29th of November. This is one of the most fun days of the whole year at MMRB, so you won’t want to miss it. Treats will be served, including some of Mr. Michael’s famous home-made apple pie.
A couple of other noteworthy November events are scheduled for Sunday, November 23. First, I will be competing in the Minnesota State Cyclocross Race in the geezerette division. They don’t actually call it that, it is actually listed as women 55 and older. The crew will hold down the fort at the shop while I go out there and give this a go. It has been several years since I raced ‘Cross, so it should be interesting. The other event is on that same day – Cranksgiving! This is an alley-cat race where participants go to various food stores (like coops) and purchase healthful foods, then haul their purchases to Sunrise Cyclery where the stuff will be given to Sisters Camelot. Sisters Camelot is an organization that uses a bus to distribute free food to needy people. I think we have someone who will ride for us, and we are giving 10% of our shop income for October and part of November to our rider to use to buy food. You can help by buying stuff at our shop, because for every dollar you spend at our shop through November 16, we will give 10 cents to the cause.
One event that is not at our shop is our volunteer night at Free Bikes 4 Kidz. We will be working at their warehouse in Fridley on Friday, November 14 between 6 PM and 9 PM. Even non-mechanics are welcome, because there are always bicycles to wash or other odd jobs to help the mechanics. We would love to have you join us – just call me at 651-641-1037 any time between 9 AM and 9 PM and leave me a message to let me know you are coming.
The bicycle count is now at 525 for 2014. We will easily top 600, but not sure yet if we will hit 700. We will give it our best shot. If you have never been to the shop, or it has been awhile since your last visit, please come see us real soon. Have a great month.