In this month’s issue of the LAB’s American Bicyclist Magazine, Ben Sollee — the humble, extremely talented and friendly pop cellist who joined us on his tour by bike last fall –announces his plans to perform on a transcontinental U.S. tour by bicycle. Quite an impressive undertaking from quite an impressive guy.

Not only that, but in the article as he recounts a transformation from an occasional bike rider into a cello-hauling bike touring machine over a trip to Bonnaroo and his southeastern coastal tour, he gives a shout out to his visit here in Savannah:

Although we were able to book more traditional shows on the December tour, we found what would become our model event in Savannah, Ga. We teamed up with the Savannah Bicycle Campaign to host an open-door fundraiser and show at a local bicycle hotspot, kicking the event off with an amazing night ride through historic streets. We were able to become a vehicle for the bike group’s message, helping drive membership and getting great coverage in the Savannah Morning News. This event bridged together what seemed like a magical mix of advocacy, community engagement, and shared arts. Within just a day, we felt like we had become part of a community. But, alas, Savannah was an island of bicycle love

Wow. That was our impression, too — what a night it was!

Below is a short film which focuses on Savannah (reminds me of something…), produced by Marty Benson (enthusiastic guy in the goatee in the Savannah waterfront picture above) to promote Ben’s new Ditch the Van Tour, followed by the full article in American Bicyclist!

bell symphony – Ben Sollee Bike Tour from marty benson on Vimeo.

We’re closing in on the event of the year — the second annual Midnight Garden Ride is Saturday, September 4! Last year, the first Midnight Garden Ride brought together 400 locals and visitors for a pedaling party through the night streets of Savannah.  It’s back by popular demand, and we want you there, because this year it will be bigger and better!

More riders, more costumes, more music and more fun for you.  Registration is required, so don’t forget to register — it’s Saturday, September 4 — Labor Day weekend — a huge weekend for bikes in Savannah with the Savannah Century’s rides Saturday and Sunday morning as well.  The Midnight Garden Ride will have 6 and 12 mile options like last year with some great prizes for the costume contest, and tons of great raffle items at the Good and Evil Party to follow — SBC members and Savannah Century participants will enjoy the discounted rate just like last year.

All the details are at midnightgardenride.com, so check it out, register for yourself and text, call, email, tweet and facebook all of your friends.  You won’t want to miss it!

Speaking of campaigners’ photos, many of you may have seen this yesterday on our facebook fan page, and it was gone for a little while but has triumphantly returned. Andy Young (thanks Andy!) did a very cool 2 frame per second capture of Saturday’s Earth Day Wheelie and put it up on vimeo, reproduced for your viewing pleasure here. (Incidentally, he also has an amazing series on the Ellis Square project that comes up right after, so check that out too!)

Our own vimeo page also includes the video board member and Ben Allen took at Saturday’s Wheelie, along with last summer’s PSA he produced along with Eric Breen and Paul Razza. For kicks, both are below. Enjoy!

I’m not sure how you could ask for more, but we’re bringing it. Join us at the City of Savannah’s Earth Day Festival before the ride to sign our ride waiver and to find out what we’re up to. You can also pick up the new 2010 SBC shirt (so hot, they’re radioactive!) and join or renew your membership.

We want you as a member because we want you to enjoy the afternoon Post Wheelie Dealie to follow at Blowin’ Smoke. Food, drink, music and bikes, not to mention sweet door prizes to current members courtesy of our sponsors. Must be present to win, so BE PRESENT. and win.

We love you, and your bike loves you. Bring all the love together this Saturday starting at 4pm.

In its first 2 years, this ride has drawn hundreds Savannahians from all walks of life. For the third year running we bring back the mobile party through Savannah’s downtown streets to celebrate the joy and possibilities of bicycling. Bring yourself, bring your friends, bring your kids — the Wheelie welcomes all!

The Wheelie will set off from the south end of Forsyth Park immediately after the closing of the Earth Day Festival at 4 p.m. We will be joined again by the elected officials for the ride that will include a police escort. Helmets are strongly encouraged.

Join us Saturday, March 6 in the Starland District lot (Whitaker and 40th) for Desotorow Gallery’s Spoked bike art and culture festival.  There will be bike exhibitors (including us), contests, demonstrations, and prizes from 12-6pm along with a Wheelie-style ride starting at 2pm.  You can check out the Spoked exhibit now at the gallery.  The festival also includes a screening of Veer, a movie about bicycle culture this Thursday 3/4 at 9pm at River Club, 3 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, so be sure to check that out too!

Feb 26 – March 10	Spoked A part of Desotorow’s Bike Artisan Festival, Spoked is a juried exhibition featuring work about the bicycle and cycling culture. “Unwanted” by Angela Petsis Digital Print from BW Negative, $175 Featured Artists: J. Graham Carswell Ashley Dowling Angela Petsis Evan Pomerantz George Retseck Cecily Upton Kevin Willsey Jessie Jones Opening Reception March 5, 6-9pm Sponsored by the City of Savannah, Scion, and SCAD Radio

Come to the Jepson early to see Copyright Criminals at 6pm.

Ride at 7pm. We will cruise through Medeology Collective’s Interactive Installation in York Lane on the way and finish at Matt Hebermehl’s wall blast at Atwell’s on W Broughton.  We will follow up with some socializing at T-Rex Mex. Don’t miss it!

The Telfair’s 2010 Pulse: Art and Technology Festival is a FREE, all-ages event exploring the intersection of art and technology. The 11-day festival features a mind-expanding array of programs including interactive art installations, musical robots, wearable art, game design, VJs, and more!

In celebration of the event, we’re bringing everyone together for a night ride!  Following the screening of Copyright Criminals at the Jepson Center from 6-7pm on Friday, Jan 29, your Savannah Bicycle Campaign will lead a fun, casual, slow paced 5 mile nighttime bike ride through downtown Savannah starting at around 7pm.  The short ride will include a cruise  through another of the PULSE events, the Medeology Collective’s Interactive Installation and finish at Matt Hebermehl’s wall blast at Atwell’s on West Broughton.  Post ride festivities will follow across the street at T-Rex Mex at around 8pm.  A front white headlight is required for all riders, and a rear red light and helmet are stongly encouraged.

Our raffle raised $425 which will go to the Oxfam Unwrapped program Ben is touring in part to support (buying a bike for an impoverished community at every show — please consider giving individually to this worthy cause) and SBC’s new program for lights and helmets for low income cyclists who are more frequently injured or killed on their bikes, in part due to the absence of some of these key pieces of equipment.  More to come on that soon, and our thanks to Quality Bike Shop and Bicycle Link for assisting in these efforts.  Many thanks to Quality Bike Shop and Half Moon Outfitters for their donations for the raffle.

Thanks also to our volunteers who made the ride and raffle happen.  We had a great group groovin’ through the downtown Savannah streets last night before the show.  Ben and crew are on their way to Jacksonville for a Sunday 12/13 show at Jack Rabbit’s, via St Marys and Fernandina Beach where they will play the ferry that links those cities at 2:30 this Saturday 12/12.  Definitely something to see if you’re in the area.

Speaking of ferries, Ben noted during the show, and Mary Landers also noted in her article in today’s SMN that the Belles Ferry operators were less than accomodating when these four loaded cyclists arrived for a ride across the river despite an expected minimum of ferry traffic on a weekday mid December afternoon:

You also have to deal with the unexpected, such as a stern operator aboard the Savannah Belles Ferry, who would only allow the group’s oversized bikes to take the ferry one at a time. That would’ve taken the foursome about an hour and a half and put them off schedule, so they braved the Talmadge Bridge on their bikes instead.

Hardly a way to welcome visitors to our city.  That ferry is part of the East Coast Greenway route which will ultimately link Maine with Key West, and the next time loaded cyclists come through, we’d like to think they will get a warm welcome instead of a hassle.  Ben and crew were very good natured about it, even doing a funny monologue about it in the show.  This morning, the ferry supervisor has issued them an official apology, noting from the SMN pictures that they could have accomodated at least 2 bikes on a ferry, probably all if a larger boat had been used.  Still, this was a lost opportunity to extend the hospitality of the hostess city to visitors bringing nothing but good things to us.  Lesson learned — let’s hope that only happens once!

One week to go to the big Ben Sollee show at Blowin’ Smoke Thursday Dec 10 — Ben is a talented artist who in touring on bike this December is focusing attention on sustainable transportation and at his shows raising money for Oxfam America’s efforts to fight poverty. As we have mentioned, he is bringing his cello (that’s right — cello!) on a bike, along with others on bikes with drums and support for the shows. We’ll kick off the night with a rockin’ night ride/Tour of Lights starting at 6pm at Blowin’ Smoke. Music will start around 7:30.

We’ll be having a raffle with awesome stuff including a bike from Quality Bike Shop! More from Chrome messenger bags, Half Moon Outfitters, Timbuk2, PrincetonTek, Native Sunglasses, Eagle Nest Outfitters, and more! Proceeds will benefit Oxfam America and SBC’s new program to outfit the underserved with lights, helmets, and locks! Come, ride, listen, and have fun with us all at Blowin Smoke! If you join us, make sure your bike has at least a white front light, as we follow the law on our rides. Helmets and a rear red light are also strongly encouraged.

Leave us a comment or drop us a line if you are interested in joining them for the ride as they arrive into town next Thursday afternoon as well — we want to give them a great Savannah welcome!