Davis Mansion hosts “Wheels through Time: A Historic Bike Show” on July 20

 

[July 12, 2019] 

Biking enthusiasts and history buffs are invited to “Wheels Through Time: A Historic Bike Show” on Saturday, July 20 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the David Davis Mansion State Historic Site in Bloomington.

The event features the history of bikes from the big wheels of the 19th century right up to E-bikes of the 21st century. In addition to displays of historic and modern bicycles, the event will feature other special presentations.

Presentations include Encounters with Lincoln’s Legacy, with vignettes performed in the historic barn on the Davis Manion grounds from 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m.; and actors talking with visitors inside the David Davis Mansion from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon. The Historic Acting Troupe will be presenting stories of local citizens whose activities as city promoters and educational advocates after the Civil War helped to preserve Lincoln’s legacy in Bloomington-Normal.

Two Bike Show lectures are planned at 10:45 a.m. (repeats at 1:30 p.m.):

• Two Hundred Years of Bicycles: New Technologies and Social Acceptance, 1817-2018 presented by Dr. Thomas Burr, Associate Professor of Sociology and Anthropology, Illinois State University;

• Early History of Women’s Cycling in Illinois, presented by Christopher Sweet, Bicycle Historian, Illinois Wesleyan University.

The event also features Slow Bike Races, scheduled to begin at 12:00 noon, with prizes for the slowest bike rider; and, a casual bike ride along the Constitution Trail beginning at the Mansion at 3:00 p.m., finishing the ride at 4:00 p.m. at Keg Grove Brewery.

The “Wheels Through Time: A Historic Bike Show” event is free and open to the public; donations are accepted. The David Davis Mansion, operated by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, will be open from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. For more information, contact the David Davis Mansion State Historic Site, 1000 Monroe Drive, Bloomington, IL at 309-828-1084.

[Illinois Department of Natural Resources]