ABC's of Bicycle Maintenance

Who needs to know "fill in the blank"?  This is the question I ask when developing programs.  For a very good reason, bicycle maintenance popped in my brain as the obvious answer for May.  Having great friends who are bicycle advocates, this program was easy to pull off.  The turn out of attendees made this one of my best-ever-program-efforts!

Too crowded Room

Weather was against us for this outdoorsy program, so we tried to host it inside a community room.  No Dice!  The amount of bikes you see above nearly doubled in 10 minutes. 

Outside is the best side

The answer was obvious to move outside and the rain held off for most of this 3 hour session.  Tara Escudero from Elmira Bikes and John van Otterloo from Corning Bikes led participants through the ABC's of Bicycle Maintenance.

The A of ABC's stands for Air.  John van Otterloo shows these twins the proper way to pump air into bike tires.  There are several learners and one statuesque gawker.

The B of ABC's stands for Brakes.  We each learned a few important lessons on brake maintenance.  This empowerment is gratifying.

The C of ABC's stands for Chain.  Tara showed our group how to check the quality of the chain.  "Avoid water puddles, they lead to rust!"

Tara shows a simple chain cleaning trick using a towel and a buddy to turn the pedals.  We purchased a chain cleaner that can be used by any biker riding through town.  Remember during those hot summer days, the library is a designated cooling station.  Stop in to cool down and spruce up your ride while you're here.

This was our Saturday scene at the Southeast Steuben County Library.  I love to see this community building  and wide age range of learners.  Each person helped one another to get their bikes ready to roll.  Teamwork makes the dream work!

When we work and learn together, we grow together.  This little test in community proved successful.  There were more adults than teens, but we are always nursing that inner child.
If you have a program suggestion, post your ideas in the comments section.  If you have a skill you wish to share, I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Cinco de Mayo-Recycled

The Fashion Club's recycled design is ready to hit the runway this Cinco de Mayo.  Today is your last day to purchase tickets online at https://artscouncil.ticketspice.com/2018-recycled-runway  Remember, we are celebrating the 45th anniversary of The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes and should wear sapphire in solidarity.

"Glitter Ghost" Haunting Market Street

Do you remember the "Glitter Ghost" we created for Recycled Runway 2017?  The Gaffer District in Corning, New York was kind enough to help promote this year's event by displaying several ensembles in store front windows.  "Candy Wrapper's Delight" by Hiedi L. Allison stands beside the ghost and represent a bit of the talent that goes into these fashion shows.

Final Details

Last week, our school district closed for spring break, so the Fashion Club met twice to complete "Starlight Wishes."  Our lovely model and her mother stayed late one night creating some of the final details.  These shoes were decorated with 3-D printed scraps and cardboard tabs, which were glued and glittered.

They devised a purse, which will hold the wishes we make when we see that first star of the night.  She will grant those wishes at the end of the catwalk with a glittered slingshot.  The grace of this model will win the hearts of the audience--no doubt!

Sneaky Peeky

This is your last sneak peek of the details of this dress before it hits the runway on Saturday.  We hope you venture out to celebrate our accomplishments.  There are over 10 hours of dedicated work put into this ensemble alone.  That does not reflect the amount of hands working on it.  There are 34 models set to walk this runway, each working over 40 hours each on their own pieces.  We promise this is a show you do not want to miss.

One note of respect:  

Recycled Runway is not connected to (but is applauded by) Recycle Runway.

In preparation for the seventh installment of Recycled Runway Fashion Show, we discovered an artist using (and owning) a very similar name.  Nancy Judd is an established designer with copyright protection to her business.  From her website:  Artist and environmental educator Nancy Judd of Recycle Runway creates couture fashion from trash as an innovative way to provide education about conservation.

With respect to Nancy Judd and protection of artist's rights, the name of this event will be changed in 2019 to Runway Reboot.  It's an exciting moment for change.  Time for a REBOOT!

Spider Mums to Celebrate 45 Years!

I'll leave you with some sapphire Spider Mums that I crafted in the Creation Station, the Southeast Steuben County Library's Maker Space.  There are 2 Cricut Machines that cut the paper needed to establish a mum shaped flower.  Mums and sapphires are traditional gifts for a 45th anniversary, so we plan to celebrate in style. 

Cinco de Mayo-Recycled!

Check back in a few weeks to see the final "Starlight Wishes" ensemble on stage.

xo,

Erica