We had the good fortune to come by some last minute tickets to the 2013 Alice Awards & Auction, put on by the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) a couple of Sundays ago on May 4th at Pure Space in the Pearl. Now in its 18th year, the Alice Awards & Auction brings together residents, leaders, and businesses from around Oregon to honor the work of those who have made bicycling better. The event highlighted the impact the BTA has had on bicycle safety education programs and recognized the great work of some of our community leaders. All of the proceeds from the event and auctions go to support the work of the BTA.
Throughout the night we heard from former Community Cycling Center Executive Director Alison Hill Graves and Gresham High School health teacher Kristen Warren. U.S. Congressman Peter DeFazio was awarded the Bud Clark Lifetime Achievement Award for his “stalwart support of Safe Routes to School” and Jay Graves received a special thank you from the BTA for all of his years of advocacy and support. It was also great to see Charlie Hales out to show his support for bicycling and the organization.
Prior to receiving the event tickets, I had heard rumors about some of the items up for auction. Portland Pedal Power donated a dinner delivery (which was paired with your favorite brew from Ninkasi Brewing), but I had no idea the extent of the goodies to choose from and spend money on! We pressed our luck with the ‘golden ticket’, but were unfortunately not the lucky winner. We pressed on and were able to walk away with a three day, two night supported ride trip with Treo Bike Tours to “explore the old west by bicycle” in Heppner, OR. They promise that “after a long ride, you can enjoy a leisurely soak in the six-person hot tub, enjoy a game of pool, pull a cold one from your personal tap, and kick back on our comfy couches or relax outside in the shade.” We’re also looking forward to a brewery tour and tasting at Base Camp Brewing Co.
The food from Spin Catering by Madison’s, highlighted by amazing braised short ribs, was delicious, and dinner was topped off with a big scoop of ice cream from Salt & Straw. I’m looking forward to next year’s event, and think I’ll arrive just a little earlier so I can take my time scouting out all the items up for auction.
(L to R: PPP Co-Owner Courtney Martin, PPP Customer Sherry Schwenderlauf from McDonald Jacobs, PPP Co-Owner Jenn Dederich)
Awesome! Treo looks pretty cool. I want to go this summer, too!