Leland hosts first ever Bike Rodeo

LELAND, NC (WWAY) —  Families headed to Leland Town Hall over the weekend for the town’s first ever Bike Rodeo.

The event was put on by the town of Leland in partner with Leland Fire and Rescue, the Leland Police Department, and Safe Kids of Cape Fear.

The town recently received a grant from the North Carolina Department of Transportation to provide children with helmets.

Deputy Chief Ronnie Hayes with Leland Fire and Emergency Services says rather than just give the helmets away, they wanted to teach kids how to be safe when riding a bicycle.

“We’re a growing community in a town that has lots of bike friendly areas and neighborhoods, and we want the kids to be safe. We don’t want to have to go when we’re called on 911 calls like that, so we want to train them so they know how to take care of themselves,” said Hayes.

After the kids learned how to safely operate a bike, there was a special screening of the movie Cars 3 in Leland Municipal Park at dusk.

Hayes said he hopes to continue the event in the future.