NCM to Host First Annual Bicycle Safety Day at Launch Zone

Family event will feature a bicycle safety course, mini parade, safety check stations, bicycle nameplate and decorating activities, prize giveaways, and more

WASHINGTON, DC (May 11, 2010) - The National Children’s Museum (NCM) will celebrate its first annual Bicycle Safety Day at the Launch Zone on May 22. As summer approaches, families are invited to join NCM and the Alexander Lance Booker Child Safety Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing accidents and injury for kids under 17, to prepare their bicycles for warm weather activities and enjoy an afternoon of bicycle fixing, decorating, and riding.

Kids can bring their own bicycles or tricycles to the Launch Zone, where they will have an opportunity to create their own bicycle nameplates and decorate their bikes; visit the bicycle helmet and check stations, courtesy of Capitol Hill Bikes; Participate in a bicycle rodeo featuring a safety obstacle course with the C.O.P.S. (Concerns of Police Survivors) of Prince George’s County, a group that provides resources for families and friends of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty; and join the “Great NCM Bicycle Parade” to show off newly decorated bikes.

Plus, families can enter a raffle to win a Revolution Cycle gift card, one of seven brand new kids’ bike helmets, bicycle safety gear, an NCM goody basket, and other prizes. Drawings will be held every hour throughout the event.

Other activities for the whole family will be presented by the Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation Xtreme Teen Street Team and Harley Davidson.

In addition, the child founder of Wheels to Africa and one of the Museum’s “kid heroes,” Winston Duncan, and his mother, Dixie, will be on hand to provide information and answer questions about their non-profit organization. The group collects used bikes, repairs them, and sends them to Africa for those in need of daily transportation.

Visitors can access the Launch Zone with their bikes by riding to National Harbor via one of the area’s many bike paths. Families may also use one of National Harbor’s many parking lots or drive and park free of charge at Metro’s Oxon Hill Park & Ride, then take a quick bike ride to the Harbor.

When:    Saturday, May 22, 2010

                11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

                 Rain or Shine

Where:   NCM Launch Zone

                 National Harbor, MD 20745

Media

Contact:  Jacqueline H. Toppings

                  202-675-4129

                  jtoppings@ncm.museum

About the National Children’s Museum
The National Children’s Museum (NCM) is a world-class cultural and educational center that inspires children to care about and improve the world. Currently operating as a “museum without walls” through participation in community events and creative partnerships with other arts and cultural organizations, NCM will open an indoor space in November 2012 and an expansive outdoor experience in May 2013 at National Harbor in Prince George’s County, Maryland. The Museum is poised to become Greater Washington’s premier family attraction and the only national museum dedicated entirely to children and their families and caregivers. The National Children’s Museum was designated by Congress in 2003 and was founded in 1974 as the Capital Children’s Museum.

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