Nick, nice.
I emailed the event information to a cool shop in State College called Freeze Thaw Cycles, to the Presque Isle cycling club in Erie, Outspokin Wheelmen club in Youngstown, and the Two tired club in New Castle. So, we'll see if there are any bites.
Does anyone wanna give me and my bike a ride there?
Ditto stefb's request.
I can take two people plus their bikes w/the help of edmonds' rack. PM me for dibs!
I called the shops that were listed in Altoona.
I have an ad that can be duplicated, if necessary for information.
I cant make it but I'll be happy to lend out my hollywood car rack for three if anyone wants it.
I have room for 3 more with bikes, Marko has 1st dibs on one seat.
Kathi, can you, or someone who will be driving, transport the ghost bike from our meeting point at the Dubois school to the site, so Nick D can ride?
Nick, need to correct the Dubois school address on facebook to 1032 Chestnut, from 1023, Jim Kearney informed me.
I have room for one more person and their bike, and a foot/car only passanger besides (if anybody wants to come but not transport a bike, that is).
I promise to print out directions and not get lost!
Nick, need to correct the Dubois school address on facebook to 1032 Chestnut, from 1023, Jim Kearney informed me.
Fixed.
I can't stress this enough: if you want to come, please meet at Dippy. I promise there will be more than enough seats and rack space to get you and you bike up.
And home.
I have a neighbor that wants to give a donation because she can't come. Maybe it can cover the cost of the ghost bike paint or put towards future ghost bike ventures.
I see in this article that they have a non profit YIELD for LIFE program. I am putting it here to urge everyone to participate. They had 600 cyclists show up.
Yes, I will transport the bike so Nick can ride.
I am in the process of writing the letter to the lieutenant governor that Byron DeShong told me I should do.
January 10,2010
GREENSBORO — It’s as unnerving as a cemetery on a distant hill.
It sits 11 steps from North Church Street on a grassy spot near the intersection of N.C. 150, and it’s held in place to a pole by a lock nearly as big as a man’s fist.
There are no tires. But there are stickers, plastic flowers, and a name and date across the top tube of a 10-speed bike that’ll remind you of a tombstone.
And it’s painted primer white.
This is a ghost bike. And this is the spot where David Sherman died, killed by a hit-and-run driver as the sun set on a Saturday afternoon a week before Halloween.
The ghost bike appeared there a few weeks ago, within eyesight of Gunter’s Store, a conversation spot five miles north of Greensboro.
Morgan Puckett makes pizza and works the cash register, and every morning when she comes into work, she sees the ghost bike in her headlights. And every time, she thinks of what she saw Oct. 24.
The police. The crime tape. And the paramedics trying to save a 55-year-old man in biking gear who was struck head-on by an SUV.
That’s what Puckett remembers.
“I get a little angry, hurt and sad, and you think about the family and friends,” says Puckett, 21. “You just have to shake your head.”
People do. They talk about the SUV’s driver, Grayson Dawson, the 48-year-old woman from Eden released on a $5,000 unsecured bond after being charged in connection with Sherman’s death.
And they talk about Sherman, the married father of two from High Point who could play the violin, speak French and navigate the complicated terrain of tax law as a vice president for Sealy Inc.
But mostly, they talk about a life snuffed out. Like Puckett, they shake their heads and wonder if anything can come from the senseless death along a remote stretch of road used by so many cyclists.
There’s the upcoming trial, the constant discussion about safer roads and the often rancorous debate over whether our society has become too distracted, too busy or even too callous to care about one another.
Then there’s the ghost bike.
These makeshift memorials started seven years ago in St. Louis to honor cyclists who have died on the road. Since then, they’ve cropped up in at least 100 spots worldwide.
You’ll find them in bigger places such as Seattle, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Charlotte and Raleigh. And now, you’ll find a ghost bike beside Gunter’s. It’s believed to be the first of its kind in Guilford County.
The ghost-bike creators want to remain anonymous. They simply want to encourage people to drive safely, share the road and remember the name David Sherman.
“Everybody should decide for themselves what it means,” one of them said, “and if you want to know, go read the bike.”
Visit the bike, and you see stickers that read, “Please Drive And Ride With Love” and “Still Riding … Not Hiding.”
That’s a phrase Sherman used often when he called his biking friends to goad them to go out.
“Are you riding or are you hiding?” Sherman would say.
The ghost-bike creators never heard Sherman say that. They didn’t even know him. They heard it from his friends.
Ask Sherman’s close friends about all this attention, and they say he would be a bit wigged out.
There’s the Facebook page called “Justice For David Sherman.” Already, it has 795 members. There’s the ride two months back that attracted at least 600 cyclists and raised more than $12,000 for Yield To Life, a nonprofit geared to make roads safer for cyclists.
And there are the people who didn’t even know Sherman but have attended courtroom hearings to show their support.
For Sherman’s family and friends, it seems a little freakish. They see these people they don’t even know gravitating closer to their grief, and they wonder about the motivation.
Then, they think about the camaraderie of cyclists, the bond formed by this urge to ride hundreds of miles through humidity and finger-numbing cold, up hills and down hills, to feel that inexplicable burn.
So, they understand.
Then there’s the ghost bike.
Robert Lippitt saw it for the first time last weekend. He took his 15-year-old son Cason out to practice driving on the road that Lippitt and Sherman, his good friend, had used for years almost every weekend.
“Sure as hell, it’s not a pleasant feeling, but you know, it’s a good thing,” said Lippitt, a 48-year-old employment attorney in Greensboro. “Not that I needed anything to remind me of our loss. But it seems right.”
The ghost bike honors a man who could walk into any convenience store, dressed in spandex, and ward off the stares of anyone by talking to them and making them laugh by the time he left.
It honors a man who started biking three years ago after getting burned out on marathon running and getting a coach to help him conquer North Carolina rides with names like Blue Ridge Brutal and Hurt, Pain, and Agony.
It honors a man who five minutes before his death talked to strangers who lived along a stretch of North Church Avenue. They were putting up Halloween decorations. Sherman’s wife Ann knows that because she got a note right after her husband’s death.
@Edmonds Thanks, I'm definitely in.
Edmounds, did you get a lock/chain?
Kathi, thanks. For some reason you can't (bike doesn't fit or something), that is perfectly fine.
Can anyone get their hands on funeral procession flags for any cars that may be joining us?
I'm planning on getting a lock and fat chain for it before Sunday, from Home Depot or something.
Can someone volunteer to get a roll of black ribbon, 2 or 3 inch width, for armbands, safety pins, and bring some scissors?
If there is a car thing too, I imagine just running with flashers and headlights would do the job.
I am getting the funeral flags... just talked to the funeral home.
Edmounds, I should be able to get the ribbon.
By the way Kathi, that was an amazing write-up. Could you add the source for that?
Jeri Rowe News record.com
Ghost bike reminds us to share the road : News-Record.com ...
Jan 10, 2010 ... This is a ghost bike. And this is the spot where David Sherman ... Visit the bike, and you see stickers that read, “Please Drive And Ride ...
www.news-record.com/.../ghost_bike_reminds_us_to_share_the_road - Cached
Link didn't work, they're not working well.
Anyway, in a follow up article, that driver got 14 to 17 months in prison. I now feel better about North Carolina than I have before.
I can't get at the News-Record story directly, for free. It's pay-to-see, $2.95 a pop.
Here's the attribution, though:
Greensboro (NC) News & Record
January 10, 2010
Page A1
Ghost bike reminds us to share the road
Column: Jeri Rowe | Byline: Jeri Rowe
But she was a hit and run driver and had previous driving issues. I wondered if that was the only reason.
You can also go to
Justice for David Sherman on facebook and see their page
Nice, cburch. If you have a minute try "Emotional day in court ends with a prison term" on August 25, 2010. That's the one I like.
Then on August 26 the editors wrote to say that 14 to 17 month sentence was too light. Damn.
Can you give me an approximate number of riders that are coming from Pittsburgh??
As of now the facebook page says 10 attending and 13 maybe's. That's probably a good mimimum count. I don't have facebook so add one.
Where is it on Facebook???
I spoke with Caroline from WTAJ. They will share their video with their affiliate.... Channel 2
Wasn't Mary Robb Jackson involved with this before???
Nick d has a link at the very first entry on this thread.
Mary Robb Jackson did a couple of reports on Don Parkers incident and ride.
Everyone, I need an actual count of who is coming.
I would like to have something for you to eat before you go for your 15-20 mile ride. Even if you don't go for your ride, I want to provide you with something to eat. 
)
It is pretty tough to get an actual count of who will attend. People flake out, others decide that morning they will go. The facebook event has 11 "for sure" RSVPs, plus a couple from this board that aren't on facebook make it at least 13 people from PGH that will make the drive up there for sure. There are also 14 "maybes" which might add a few more to that total. I don't know who is coming from other clubs or areas.
I think my primary concern is the Pittsburgh group at this point. We have at least until tomorrow for me to get a tally. I have a place for you to go and regroup before your ride.
Perhaps you can let those" maybes" know that I want an actual head count. I will get enough food for those that have told me they are coming.
I'm going, I'm not flaking out.
I have a car that can fit (3) bikes, but would prefer to not drive and just share a ride in someone else's car.
So, I'm in, and already RSVP on FB
My hunch is that if you figure on 20, you're going to be +-5. Is that close enough?
I plan to be there and I have not (and will not) RSVP on Facebook.
I plan to meet at dippy at 8:45 am Sunday, sept 19.
If there are not enough rides, I can rent a car. I have no bike rack, though.
Bikey, any chance you could park fairly close, then you would only have to drive if you absolutely needed to?
Is there any way to tag who is a driver on the facebook thingy?
Mick, can't imagine you would need to rent a car.
Hey, does anybody have the capacity to handle some video on Sunday? Even just a helmet cam or something?
Got chain and lock last night, that's a go.
No problem edmond. I will bring the car around, but if not needed I will leave it behind.
Note that the ability of my car to fit bikes is easier if they have quick-release front tires. I don't have a rack, but a bitching SW!
Stu, that seems to work...20
If it changes,today please let me know.
Kathi
Bump.
Just a reminder that we will have transportation to Du Bois (and back to Dippy) for anyone who wants to come.
For drivers, careful - In Dubois there are both Chestnut street and Chestnut Avenue, about 2 mi. apart -
Oklahoma Elementary school, 1032 Chestnut AVENUE is our meeting point.
Just additional info, our contact up there has told me that one of the riders has planned a 32 mile ride, in the Cooks Forest area, for the afternoon, and will have maps to distribute after the ghost bike. Sounds pretty nice. We will keep it easy pace and no drop.
At Dippy we should coordinate drivers who may not able to stay for the after ride with riders who do not want to do the after ride. I will definitely be doing the ride.
Bikeygirl, wanna try out that road bike?
Ej, dang, I was pulling out my stuff to get ready for tomorrow and I realized my rack is a 2 bike not a 3 bike, maybe the one robjdlc offered is bigger? Sorry. I can still bring it.
I can borrow a three-bike trunk rack if it's needed, though I'm not entirely sure how I'll get it to dippy in that case.
@Edmonds: Yes! It would be nice to try the road bike! Please confirm you got this message-response so I don't come and then it turns out you didn't bring the bike, ok?
I'm ready for tomorrow then. 9pm dippy.
Lyle, what part of town do you live in? If you can get a 3 bike I can come by and get it at 8:00 or so on my way to Dippy. pm me.
Bikeygirl, I'll bring it. Right now it's set up with flat pedals (for normal shoes) and toe clips, that o.k.?
bikeygirl, come 12 hours early.
Wait..... Houston, we have a problem:
I need to be back in Pgh by 1:30pm at the latest. Was just double-checking the times for the ROS at 11:30am... so what are the chances I can be back by Pittsburgh at 1:30 pm with that frametime? I'm attending the Friendship House Tour Sunday afternoon and helping one of the vendors at one of the tour-stops starting at 1:45pm.
Does it really take about 2hrs each way to drive back & forth?
Edmonds, since you know the specifics better please let me know... 
Ooh, yes, it's a 2 hr + drive, you're just not going to make it. If you need to be back here by 1:30 you're not going to be able to do Dubois. Don't worry about it.
Backup 3 bike car rack is obtained for Ejwme.
Kathi, just one more little detail, if you speak to the media, make sure this isn't depicted as a "BikePgh" event. The Bike Pgh message board is just a means of communication between members, and Bike Pgh assumes no responsibility for this event. This event has simply been organized by individuals of the Pittsburgh cycling community, and others, who are concerned and impacted by the circumstances of Doctor Varacallos death.
A little legaleze, but you never know what negative forces might be lurking to try some hanky panky.
Bikey, just so I'm sure, are you a no-go? Let me know by the morning.
I only had Stu call dibs on the ride, so the two/three isn't a real problem, but I'm of course willing to take anybody who needs with whatever resources whoever can lend... that sounded less vague in my head.
see yinz guys bright and early then.
It is worth mentioning to the media that this is at least the third ghost bike we've installed in just over a year, just among Pittsburgh cyclists.
We want people to know we are out there, and just want to get where we're going in one piece. That requires the cooperation of everyone.
We will be out there in the dark, in the rain, and in the snow. Most of us do follow the rules, try to dress visibly, and try to act predictably.
Probably no then. I have flowers I got for the memorial so I will come by dippy in the morning regardless. Don't bring bike.
I was very impressed by the number of people who showed up to the memorial ride! It was great to see so many people participate in something that was so meaningful to the friends and family of Dr. Varacallo as well as Pennsylvania cyclists.
I am happy that this message board exists for us to communicate about special events like these.
Ricky and I carried more bikes on our car than we did people...we may have looked a little crazy.
Will someone please tell me what tv channel the news report will be on? I wasn't paying close attention during the lock-up.
--Jane
The TV news lady was from WJAC Johnstown.
well said, Bill...
Sorry, Bill.... I never saw your post until now.
I didn't realize that you wanted me to avoid the use of Bike Pittsburgh until getting on this evening. I didn't read your post prior to the event.
WTAJ called my home this morning to also do the BIKE RIDE. Apparently they didn't remember that I had given them several numbers to call in the event I was already in the DuBois area..Their loss...Jeff was a little bit disappointed when I told them WJAC covered it and we had nearly 200 people at the event. But they want me to keep in touch if anything significant happens in the legal end of things.
Again, thank-you to all.....
Did you end up in Cooks Forest or go straight home?
I enjoyed meeting you all...
Great day. I am amazed at that Karissa being the reporter, cameraman, and producer, pretty impressive.
Kathi, no worries on the "Bike Pgh", everything you presented was just fine, quite good in fact.
Pic of the site:
the bike, gracias to bikeygirl for flowers:
And the hard core 4 who rode it out to the end, we went to Cooks Forest and rode along the Clarion river for 16 miles, absolutely gorgeous.
And Marko, nice L, good form, but, uh....
Was the ride all dirt?
No, paved and flat, followed right along the river. That was just a pull-off. I can't imagine being able to do regular training rides there, you could crank.
The forest was absolutely perfumed with pine, earth, and the occasional scent of wood smoke, it was great.
Yeah, I gotta say that ride was probably the best ride I've ever been on (ribs and all). I'd forgotten how beautiful Cook's forest is, I'm going to have to go back up there more often, for longer 
Wow glad to see the big turnout. Great job, everyone.
Ps the cook forest ms ride is absolutely gorgeous. I think it is this coming weekend, FYI.
Nice work to all those involved!
ej, pm me and let me know where to email you fungus photos.
My "L" is for all those dyslexics out there, I want to be inclusive...
I just want to add a note of thanks to Bill Edmonds and to all those in Dubois who helped coordinate the ride. It was a solemn occasion for sure, but it was also a very enjoyable day celebrating being a bicyclist. Also of note, we had three police escorts and an EMS unit following us during the ride of silence. I’m sure their view of cyclist has been heightened.
It looks and sounds like a successful event, specially in bringing awareness to the community about sharing the road
Glad everything worked out, and that you guys got to ride around Cook Forest! Yeah... it is pretty cool out there
Loved the " L " picture.... it made my day (smile)
When I learn how to post a picture on this site, I have one of the police, bikes and EMS in parade. From my vantage point, seeing all of you on your bikes brought tears to my eyes.... I wish you could have seen it from where I was...
Kathi - Upload photo to another site (Flickr or equiv), grab the URL for the photo, and then, when posting, format it like this, only changing the [ and ] signs to < and > signs:
[img src="http://www.flickr.com/path/to/the/photo.jpg"]
If the URL ends in ".jpg" you're probably in good shape. If it doesn't, the photo might not show up.
Ok Stu.... I will try and see what I can do to make that happen. I also want to make an 8 X 10 of the four of you for my living room. What do I need to do to make that happen?
I want to make sure everyone who went up Sunday gets some love, all these people gave up their day and were equal important parts of the event,
in no particular order:
Rick, Jane, Lyle, Nate, Mick, Eleanor, Stu, John, Dan, Bihui Lin, Nick, and Kayla. I hope to heck I didn't forget anyone.
And we got everyone home.
Nick did the beautiful Ghost Bike.
Lucia came out early to see us off and provided some very nice flowers.
And I think this was Bihui's first venture out with Bikepgher's, so Bihui, come on out to a Flock ride for some more super awesome fun!
Thanks
And Kathi, I emailed you the full resolution file for the photo, if you just put it on to a memory stick and take that to a Kinko's or something like that, they can make any prints you want.
I can't believe we didn't get some photo at the picnic pavillion, but my mind had spun on to other things at that point.
I added everyone to my FB list early this morning that came.... A few wouldn't allow me to add them as a friend... so I don't know what you do in that case. like Bihui....I guess you are too busy for that ,as you don't allow people to befriend you.
Maybe you can get together sometime and take a picture for me.... those of you that were there on Sunday. Make sure you do the " L" like the 4 did at the river.
My energy level and mind were a complete blank at the pavillion too. When I get to that point, my head can't think any more....
I was so glad to personally meet all of you.....you'll never know just how much our family appreciated the effort. Hope you enjoyed the luncheon that I provided.It was a simple way of saying thank-you. It was the least I could do for such a wonderful group of people!!!
I hope to see you again under better circumstances......... And Eleanor, I will get on my bike again!!
Josh Karns made a video of the event:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecUKr6mh4P8
in his words: I made the trek from Harrisburg to DuBois to show my solidarity to the bicyclists involved and to encourage them to speak out for complete streets and safer roads. While there, I shot some video of the event. The words of those involved tell the story of the day so much better than I can. Please watch the short video clip above for the whole story.
Kathi - you, me, a trail somewhere pretty I'LL bring the yummy lunch (thank you for that, it was fantastic!!!!)
Josh, this is what one of my friends said after viewing the video........
Thank you-I liked your speech. I was out driving today and was more aware of the cyclists on the road since watching these videos.
Eleanor..... I can't wait to get on my bike....
Ok, you can do the lunch this time
I posted the Josh Karn's video on the ghost bikes project facebook page. This is what I got in response....
ghost bikes film project commented on your link.
ghost bikes film project wrote:
"Thank you for posting this Kathleen. We are so sorry for your loss. It is good to see the community rallying for you and your family."
Kathi, I don't know if you know, but Meagan, the woman making the film, actually came down to Pittsburgh earlier this year to get footage for her movie the weekend we put the ghost bike up for Don Parker on Harts Run Rd.
Nick, I did not know that...... Here I am suggesting they use footage from Josh's video...
Thanks for telling me.... I am so glad that you are going to be featured
