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The first of what organizers hope will be an annual event, the Texas Forts Tour bicycle ride, is here in Jacksboro Friday-Monday, Oct. 9-12.
This family-friendly event will draw participants and their supporters from a wide area of Texas and Oklahoma. Headquartered at Fort Richardson State Park, the ride has been organized by Wichita Falls Streams and Valleys, the Hotter’n Hell Hundred of Wichita Falls, the Texas Forts Trail organization and the Jacksboro Chamber of Commerce. Jacksboro Chamber of Commerce is providing 150 welcome bags with items donated by local merchants and individuals. Members of the Chamber will act as hosts for registration from 4-7 p.m. Friday and from 6:30-7:30 a.m. Saturday at Fort Richardson. Riders and their teams should begin arriving Friday and may overnight at Fort Richardson Friday and enjoy a spaghetti dinner prepared by the Friends of Fort Richardson and homemade ice cream sponsored by Jack County Museum volunteers.
With a cannon firing and appropriate fanfare, the riders will leave the fort at 8 a.m. Saturday and make their way through Jacksboro via West Belknap Street and past the Jack County Museum to scenic Highway 4 toward Graford. A rest stop at Barton Chapel will be manned from 8:40 - 9:30 a.m. Saturday by Jack County 4-H with refreshments, water and other encouragements. The riders will then travel on to Fort Belknap and to Throckmorton where they will spend the night. Sunday, the riders will travel to Fort Griffin through Albany and on to Breckenridge where they plan to spend another night on the road. Then on Columbus Day, Monday, riders will leave Breckenridge and head for Mineral Wells. The last leg of the journey brings the riders back to Graford and Highway 4. Once again, 4-H’ers will man the last rest stop at Barton Chapel from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and riders will make their way back to Jacksboro that afternoon. Although the ride is 248 total miles, organizers are also providing out-and-back rides each day. Registration is available up until 30 minutes before the start of the ride Saturday. Local organizers who have been planning since June 2008 are park manager Robert Frie, Chamber of Commerce Office Manager Kevin Kelly, and chamber board member Larry Shields. The park staff, local law enforcement and EMT personnel, volunteer firemen and others are working together to make the ride safe and enjoyable for every participant. Organizers welcome questions and support of this event. For those who would like to help with hosting the event, contact Frie at Fort Richardson State Park, (940) 567-3506.
There is potential for the event to draw hundreds of riders annually as word spreads of the hospitality and quality preparations provided by the Jacksboro community and those along the route. Organizers encourage the community to come to the Fort or line up along South Main and Belknap streets Saturday morning to cheer the riders on their way. |
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