On Friday, Emporia will be a rest stop for a group of cyclists riding across the country for a good cause.
The team, part of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity, are participating in the organization’s annual Journey of Hope, riding 4,000 miles to raise funds and awareness for people with disabilities. The cyclists started in San Francisco and will average 75 miles a day until they get to Washington, D.C. on Aug. 15.
The Journey of Hope is a part of Push America, the philanthropy of Pi Kappa Phi. Members from different chapters across the country participate in the event.
To participate in the ride, each cyclist must raise money to contribute to the cause.
“For the last several years, they have come through Emporia,” said Sue Blechl, director of the Emporia Public Library and member of the Emporia Kiwanis Club. “They will be in Wichita on Thursday and Topeka on Saturday.”
When the group arrives in Emporia they will be treated to a pot luck supper at 6 p.m. Friday at the Lee Beran Recreation Center. The dinner is sponsored by the Emporia Kiwanis Club.
Blechl said in some locations the team members put on a puppet show dealing with issues concerning people with disabilities, but that might not happen here because it’s difficult to get an audience on Friday night.
“We have seen it in one or two of the past years, but we don’t do it every year because there aren’t many kids there at our event,” Blechl said.
The Kiwanis also has arranged for three massage therapists to be on hand from 4:30 to 6 p.m. to help the cyclists.
“It’s pretty neat to have them get a little special treatment,” Blechl said.
Along with the cyclists will be a support team that rides along with them. A total of 27 team members will stop in Emporia Friday night. Following supper the cyclists will spend the night at the rec center.