Out Our Front Door Newsletter- February

Welcome

The hype persists. After selling out nearly every ride last year, we got our rides open for registration earlier than ever for 2024, and we already have 3 rides sold out! One of which is in late June.

We have what promises to be the best Hootenanny Fundraiser party we have ever thrown scheduled for Thursday, April 11 at Midwest Coast Brewery. A big month of Volunteer Training coming in March as well as our first every March bike camping trip and parade march on St. Paddy’s Day Southside Style.

Read on for more deets and some heaping gratitude for the best of the best of our volunteers - the Directors and Assistant Directors of our 6 programs. ​

The Hootenanny Fundraiser Party: Thursday, April 11

Come out to one of the most fun fundraising events of the year. The Hootenanny Vol. 4. We’ll miss Metropolitan this year, but we are so lucky to partner with another great Chicago brewery, Midwest Coast in West Town (2037 W. Walnut). We’ve rented out the entire venue!

Early bird tickets are on sale for $35 here. Tickets generously include 2 beverage tickets, a raffle ticket, and of course chili mac (meat, vegan and gluten free options). There will be live bluegrass music and tons of awesome raffle prizes and a silent auction. Not to mention,  some of the loveliest dern bike and adventure loving folks you ever could hope to meet. 

Tickets will only be available online. This event has sold out every year, and we expect it to sell out this year. So don’t wait to get your entry to the party that will kick off OOFD’s 9th and most epic season!

Do you know an organization that might be interested in sponsoring the Hootenanny? Yes, we are hitting that next level and have options for folks to sponsor us. More info on what that looks like and how to make it happen here. ​

Month of March Trainings

March is the month of training at OOFD. So whether you are a guide entering your 9th season or someone that has always been interested in putting your love of nature and bikes and adventure to good use as a volunteer, come on out to one or more of our trainings in March. 

We are doing two dates for the main guide training, one on March 16 at the Hyde Park Arts Center, and the other at Specialized Fulton Market on March 28. You can RSVP here. In person is encourage (though limited) and virtual options are available. If you can't attend either, you can still volunteer with us. Just be sure to fill out this Volunteer Form if you haven't already.
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There is a Family Overnight specific training on March 20, virtual only. And for those that are interested in helping folks with disabilities get out on bikes into nature there is a “Meet the Fleet” training at Cosmic Bikes on March 23 so you can learn a bit about our Adaptive Program and get comfy with our rad fleet of top of the line adaptive tandem bikes! More on that below.

This season, we will have 8 of these top of the line, HASE Pino adaptive tandem bikes for our Adaptive Program!

Adaptive Program 2024

Speaking of our Adaptive Program, in just three years, our adaptive bike camping program for people with disabilities has grown tremendously. None of this would have been possible without the dedication of our amazing volunteers who share in our belief that everyone, including people with disabilities, deserves a life filled with adventure, exploration and immersion in our natural world.

This year our growing slate for adaptive riders  includes: 

• Continuing to expand participation throughout our programming, including our adaptive, family and for the first time adult overnight programs. 
• More grants / resources, bikes, including 4 brand new adaptive tandems, including our first tandem with e-assist and handcycle cranks. 
• Continuing to expand our partnerships, including Cosmic Cycles, Keen Chicago, SSSRA (South Suburban Special Recreation Association), with more in the works.  
• Becoming the most radically inclusive org, the only adaptive cycling org doing bike camping, proving that “Bike Camping For Everyone!” is achievable!

Our adaptive volunteer training  will take place at Cosmic Bikes (thank you Cosmic!),  4641 N. Milwaukee Ave in Jefferson Park on Saturday March 23rd at 10AM, and will last about 1.5 hours. If you haven’t been to Cosmic, it’s worth the trip alone to see this rad shop.  

We’ll provide some “nuts and bolts” information about the program, specifics about working with people with disabilities, and get out in the park across from Cosmic to help get you comfortable on a range of our adaptive and tandem setups.  We’ll also be offering adaptive bike loans to get you even more practice. And afterwards we’ll have an optional gathering for some pizza and refreshments. 
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If this sounds like something you’d like to be a part of, please fill out this brief RSVP form.

2022 Sun Harvest Photo by Emily Ling

Upcoming Events

Monthly Hang Tuesday, March 5, 730-10pm at Eris Cidery (come an hour early for the 5 year planning session)
OOFD volunteer and bicycle enthusiast, Alex Zhu, will be leading a simple bike mechanics training at about 8pm. Come out and hang with OOFD folks and the OOFD curious and get hyped for the bike camping season. 

Creative Work Session, Tuesday, March 12
See below for the details and RSVP here. 630-730pm virtual option. 730-930pm in person option at The Beer Temple in Avondale. We will be getting your input on the next 5 year plan for OOFD.

Trainings (see above for details and RSVP here)
Guide Training - March 16
Family Program Training - March 20
Adaptive Program Training and Meet the Fleet - March 23
Guide Training - March 28
 
Southside St. Paddy’s Day Parade March and Bike Campout: Sunday, March 17 - Monday, March 18
Come March in the Southside Irish Parade down Western Ave. There are free tickets to just march in the parade with us. The more the merrier. Then, there is an option to go bike camp after at Camp Sullivan after the parade (10 miles from the parade end). Cornbeef and beverages in a garage party style will be happening after the march! All are welcome. Registration and deets here.

Hootenanny Vol. 4 Fundraiser Party at Midwest Coast Brewery: Thursday, April 11
See above and get your tickets here.

Adaptive Day Ride for Multiple Sclerosis: Saturday, May 11 
We are partnering with the Exercise Neuroscience Research Laboratory at UIC to lead an Adaptive Day Ride from Bikes N Roses in Hermosa over to the 606 Trail. The ride will welcome folks with MS to ride and even bring along family members. The folks from the UIC lab will be on hand to help lead the event and share more information about how exercise is important for folks with MS. If you know anyone with MS that might be interested, here is the registration link.


Sold Out Rides

What Lies West to Blackwell - May 4-5
The Good Land to Milwaukee - May 17-19
Train O’ Lakes to Chain O' Lakes State Park - June 29-30

What are you waiting for!? Rides are selling out. Three already. Don't wait to register for the ride(s) you wanna to do this year!

Art by Kyle Riley

​Battle to the Dunes: June 1 - 2

Each year, we have a handful of big, BIG, rides. Rides that bring a huge variety of bicyclists together for a true bike camping adventure. One of OOFD’s most classic rides in this category is The Battle to the Dunes. 

This ride brings 80 bike campers together for probably the most classic bike camping route/destination in Chicagoland, to our only local National Park, The Indiana Dunes. It is 75 miles on Day 1 through mostly lovely bike trails. We have an entire loop of Dunewood Campground reserved for folks to kick back after the long ride and dip in the lake. Day 2 is through the heart of the industrial section of NW Indiana. All throughout, we will be learning about the epic battle between environmentalists and industrialists for this strip of habitat along our dear old friend, Lake Michigan’s southern shore. 

Even if that mileage scares you, sign-up. And get on yer bike and train and get ready for a weekend adventure that you truly will never forget. We love this ride. And you will too. 
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Check out what last year’s lead guide, Rachel Shultz, said about it here. Or read this rather poetic take on this adventure and the "great curiosity" of the dunes here written by OOFD guide and board member Ashley Lyons. And see the details and registration info here. This year’s lead guide, Kat, is one of OOFD’s most OG and adventurous and welcoming guides on the whole crew so it promises to be a great year!

Matt Weiss, Claire Meyers, Hope Williams, Maura Benson, Steph Reid, Rachel Shultz, Ashley Lyons, Glenn Schneider, Bradley Fisher, Miles Talty, Breanna Bertacchi

​The Program Directors and Assistant Directors of OOFD

As we get ready to dive into the wildness of bike camping season, we wanted to take a moment to shower some of our most dedicated volunteers with gratitude. 

These folks are VOLUNTEER DIRECTORS and ASSISTANT DIRECTORS of entire programs that get 100s of folks out in nature on bikes each year! Some of them contribute hugely to the org in addition to these roles as directors. Truly some of the best folks you could ask to meet and go on bike adventures with.

Adult Overnights Program - Breanna Bertacchi (Director) and Rachel Shultz (Assistant Director)

Family Overnights Program - Hope Williams (Director) and Steph Reid (Assistant Director)

Where the Wild Things Grow Program - Matt Weiss (Director) and Maura Benson (Assistant Director)

Adaptive Program - Bradley Fisher (Director) and Miles Talty (Assistant Director)

Youth Program - Claire Meyer (Director) and Glenn Schneider (Assistant Director)
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Adult Day Rides Program - Ashley Lyons (Director)

​OOFD's Next 5 Year Plan

We are currently in the process of laying out the next 5 Year Plan for OOFD. We created one years ago for 2020-2025 with the key word being "sustainability" and way to get there was by scaling up to a full time Executive Director. As we enter year 4 of that plan, which was focused on growing our programs, we are well on pace to hit our goals with Glenn coming on to a 28 hour week along with health care and paid time off. If we have another great season, we’ll hit our programming growth goals as well as be able to bring him on full-time before next season. 

So, with that said, we are focused on making amazing things happen this year. And, it is time to start dreaming up the next stage of OOFD. For that, we need yer help! We have be holding listening sessions with OG guides, former/current board members, and now our community of riders and partners. 

So please, please, come tell us what your most perfect version of OOFD looks like from 2026-2030. The board will deeply consider your input as we continue the discussion, research, work to put together a plan to make this magical thing that is OOFD even more rad in the coming years. We value the heck out of all y’all that have been supporting us for so long, and want your input, ideas, insight on this next 5 year plan.

• March 5 - Eris Cidery at 630pm - come out to the Monthly Hang an hour early and an OOFD board member, will be present to lead a discussion around ideas ya have for OOFD. Small and crazy big ideas welcome. No RSVP necessary but deets here.
• March 13 - 630-730 (virtual), 730-9pm (in person at The Beer Temple in Avondale) - Glenn will be hanging out first online then in person to lead a discussion around your big ideas for OOFD’s future. Please come if even to just listen or to drop bomb ideas on us! RSVP here. ​

Ok. I guess that will do for now. Crazy how even our February Newsletter has so much to report that its still a short novel. For anyone that made it this far, here is a little gem for loving OOFD enough to read these epic newsletters. 

"Prairie folks are friendly. They have to be. They cannot hide behind cliffs or defy their enemies from a precipice. They are one family, so to speak." Jens Jensen

Happy pedaling and hope to catch you out there soon.

Much love,

Glenn and the whole OOFD Crew

The mystic of the prairie himself, Mr. Jens Jensen