Volunteers are needed for Columbia Association’s (CA) annual Columbia BikeAbout, a free event being held this year on Saturday, September 15, organized by the Columbia Archives.

The volunteers will assist with traffic control, directions and registration, and they will act as guides along the 13-mile route. Flexible shifts are available between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Training — and a free T-shirt — will be provided for those volunteering to help.

BikeAbout is a popular event that attracts several hundred bicyclists each year. The route takes advantage of Columbia’s extensive path system and highlights Columbia’s historic and natural beauty. This year’s route, which will start and end at the Downtown Columbia Lakefront, takes riders on a winding route through sections of Oakland Mills, Long Reach and Town Center.  

Features on the BikeAbout will include:

• Blandair Park: Phase 1 is open — what’s next?
• Woodlawn Slave Quarters: CA’s sensitive restoration helps interpret Howard County history
• Oakland Ridge Industrial Park: Columbia’s first industrial area has become a hidden marketplace
• Thunder Hill: From Sleeping Dog Lane to Soaring Hill, the story behind the street names
• Jackson Pond: From farm pond, to experimental storm water retention, to neighborhood amenity
• Symphony Woods and downtown redevelopment: Past, present and future

For more information on volunteering, please email Columbia.Archives@ColumbiaAssociation.org  or call Jeannette Lichtenwalner at 410-715-6781.