The Farmington Feed

Announcer: 00:02

Welcome to this week's episode of the Feed in 5 with your host, Caryn Hojnicki, the city's communication specialist. The Feed in 5 is a shorter version of the Farmington Feed, and it'll be a quick update of what's going on in the city of Farmington. Caryn?

Caryn: 00:17

Welcome to this week's episode of the Feed in 5. This is a special edition of the Feed in 5 since we have a brand new event coming up this weekend to talk about. I have with me today Sergeant Bellows of the Farmington Police Department and Emilee Schearer, recreation supervisor. Well, welcome, Andy. How are you?

Andy: 00:34

Wonderful. How are you doing?

Caryn: 00:35

First time on, an episode?

Andy: 00:37

Yes. It is.

Caryn: 00:37

Alright. So let's get into it. We have this exciting event called Helmet Heroes, and it's a partnership between the police department and Parks and Recreation and a couple others. And you're here to talk about it today. So

Andy: 00:48

That's correct.

Caryn: 00:49

Tell us a little bit about it.

Andy: 00:50

Helmet Heroes event is being held on June 1st from 9 AM to 11 AM. We received a grant of $2,500 from Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association and with that grant, we reached out to Minnesota Children's Hospital. They're donating helmets, a limited quantity of helmets. So anybody that shows up will receive a helmet.

Caryn: 01:13

Okay. And, we have not only the helmets being given away for free, but there's also going to be some other things. You mentioned Children's Minnesota Yes. Donated the helmets. What else are they going to do for us?

Andy: 01:24

They're gonna send a representative down to the event that's gonna assist with fitting the helmets on each individual that receives 1.

Caryn: 01:32

Okay. So oh, I guess it's important that they fit. Right?

Andy: 01:36

That's correct.

Caryn: 01:37

So they're gonna do fittings and then get them, hooked up with the right helmet. And then, what else do you think is important for these kids to know about, when riding their bikes in Farmington?

Andy: 01:47

It's just that they need to wear the helmet at all times. While riding, they wanna be looking for other vehicles, other objects in the road.

Caryn: 01:56

Yeah. And just being aware of their surroundings.

Andy: 01:58

That's correct.

Caryn: 01:59

You know, I was talking with Emilee about how we didn't used to wear helmets growing up.

Andy: 02:03

Right.

Caryn: 02:03

I'm sure you didn't.

Andy: 02:04

I did not.

Caryn: 02:05

And even like now, like, my kids are like I'm telling them to wear helmets, and they're they're saying, mom, where's yours? Oh, well, I need to get one.

Andy: 02:11

It's it's important.

Caryn: 02:12

Right.

Andy: 02:13

It is very important.

Caryn: 02:14

Because you never know what's gonna happen.

Andy: 02:15

Absolutely.

Caryn: 02:15

You could feel safe in your neighborhood, but that doesn't mean something can't.

Andy: 02:19

Absolutely. Oh, you

Caryn: 02:20

you run into something or there's a car that you didn't expect.

Andy: 02:23

Yep.

Caryn: 02:24

So, wearing that helmet is gonna protect your head. Well, thank you so much for stopping by to talk about our new event this weekend. We are very excited, and hopefully, a ton of residents and students from Farmington Schools show up, and we can give them some helmets.

Andy: 02:38

That's our purpose. Alright. More the merrier

Emilee: 02:41

Yeah.

Andy: 02:41

To show up, and, it should be a fun day.

Caryn: 02:43

Okay. Well, we will see you on Saturday. And before, we wrap up, oh, I don't mention that they do need to pre register for this event because we do need to have a, an approximate count of people that need a helmet. Right? Because there's limited numbers.

Caryn: 02:58

So they're gonna go to farmingtonmn.gov/helmetheroes and the registration link will be on that page. And once again, the event is Saturday, June 1st from 9 to 11 AM with the ride starting at approximately 10 AM. The event will be held in the Farmington Lutheran Church parking lot, so bring your bikes for the ride. Now we're talking with Emilee about bike care, repair, and the bike ride. Hi, Emilee

Emilee: 03:20

Hi.

Caryn: 03:20

Welcome back.

Emilee: 03:21

Oh, yeah. Thank you.

Caryn: 03:22

So we're talking about this new event that, the police department and the parks and recreation department are, partnering on.

Emilee: 03:28

Yep.

Caryn: 03:28

Helmet Heroes. So who is invited to attend this event?

Emilee: 03:32

So Downtown Bicycles located in Northfield is going to be coming to talk about, bike maintenance.

Caryn: 03:39

Oh, that's great. The so the kids are gonna learn a little bit about how to take care of their own bikes.

Emilee: 03:44

Yeah. Yeah. And it's it's a part of safety in the sense of if, you know, like your chain falls off while you're riding your bike, that's obviously gonna be cause cause an accident. So it's important to not only to maintain your bike, but also for safety reasons as well.

Caryn: 03:58

Yeah. So if they the chain falls off while they're riding, they can put it back on and not have an issue.

Emilee: 04:02

Yep. And they'll also be able to, you know, check when and if the bike chain needs to be lubed at all, check for tire pressure because

Caryn: 04:11

Oh, yeah. That's very important. What if your tires are flat?

Emilee: 04:13

Exactly. Again, could cause an accident. And we're gonna also just do things like bike fittings. So making sure that bike size is appropriate for the kid.

Caryn: 04:23

So Like, the tire size and the height and where their legs are and the pedals.

Emilee: 04:26

Exactly.

Caryn: 04:27

And so there's gonna be an ending with the bike ride. Right? What are we what are we doing with that? Is there a specific route?

Emilee: 04:34

So it's gonna start at Farmington Lutheran and then we're going to head north on Akin Road from there. We're gonna have a shorter bike ride for younger kids and then a longer bike ride for a little bit older kids, maybe some adults that if they wanna join.

Caryn: 04:51

Alright.

Emilee: 04:52

Anything of that nature.

Caryn: 04:53

Cool. So, will you be on a bike?

Emilee: 04:56

I'm not sure yet.

Caryn: 04:57

Okay. Just checking.

Emilee: 05:00

I was gonna say, maybe.

Caryn: 05:01

Maybe. Yeah. No. I know, the director here is a a very avid

Emilee: 05:07

Yes.

Caryn: 05:07

Cyclist. Correct?

Emilee: 05:08

Kellee is very much an avid cyclist, so she she will for sure be on a bike.

Caryn: 05:12

And I think she planned out the route. Correct?

Emilee: 05:14

Yes. Okay. Great. Yes. She did.

Caryn: 05:15

So she knows where she's going, what she's doing.

Emilee: 05:17

She should, hopefully.

Emilee: 05:18

Alright. Alright. Well, sounds good. Anything else that people need to know about this event?

Emilee: 05:24

No. I just think it's yeah. It's a super important event in the sense of making sure that our community is safe and and also getting outdoors and and enjoying a bike ride.

Caryn: 05:35

Right. And, you know, it's I think it's kinda funny. Like, growing up, I never wore a helmet because that wasn't the thing. Right? I mean, did you?

Caryn: 05:41

No.

Caryn: 05:42

And, you know, the more and more we talk about it, the more and more it seems to be important and that people need to be wearing helmets anytime they're riding a bike.

Emilee: 05:50

For sure. And, again, even just bike maintenance, I never maintained my bike. I just got on it and rode away. You know?

Caryn: 05:57

Exactly.

Emilee: 05:58

And so I never knew if my tire pressure was good or if, you know, my chain was about to fall off.

Caryn: 06:03

For sure.

Emilee: 06:04

And so it's just, yeah, an all around important event.

Caryn: 06:07

And having someone here that is very knowledgeable about that, that can teach these kids the right things to do and the parents too.

Emilee: 06:12

I mean Exactly. Yeah. You always want a parent's supervision, especially if it's the kid is younger

Caryn: 06:18

Mhmm.

Emilee: 06:19

Then to yeah. Both be informed on, what is important to to keep an eye on.

Caryn: 06:25

Yep. Alright. Well, thank you for your quick few minutes today, and, we're looking forward to this awesome event called Helmet Heroes.

Emilee: 06:32

Awesome.

Caryn: 06:33

Thank you.

Emilee: 06:33

Yeah.

Caryn: 06:34

And that's the Feed in 5. Remember, you can listen to all our podcasts including the Farmington Feed and the Feed in 5 wherever you like to get your podcasts.