South Bend celebrates Kids to Parks Day with bike-riding workshop

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Families gathered at Boehm Park on Saturday to celebrate National Kids to Parks Day, as warm weekend weather brought residents outdoors across the Michiana area.

The national event, held on the third Saturday in May, encourages children and families to explore local parks and spend time in nature. In South Bend, South Bend Venue Parks and Arts partnered with community groups to host activities and hands-on stations for park visitors.

Among the attractions was a bicycle riding workshop led by organizers from Michiana Bike to Work Week, which wrapped up its weeklong campaign this weekend.

At the workshop, children learned basic bike safety skills, including proper helmet fitting, balance and controlled riding techniques.

“We check them in, we will then teach them how to properly fit a helmet, then we have a track here that’s about 18 inches wide,” Peter Hru said. “We just want them to learn how to start and stop smoothly and in a straight line that way they’re not rolling out in front of cars or other obstacles.”

Organizers said the event was designed to encourage children to stay active outdoors while promoting safe biking habits ahead of the summer season.

Saturday’s event also marked the unofficial start of a busy summer season for outdoor programming in South Bend, with additional community events planned in local parks throughout the coming months.

More information about upcoming activities is available through South Bend Venue Parks and Arts.