The late Kenneth Bedford’s love for bicycles continues at a number of bicycle restore stations at Barber Hills at Pat Mayse and on the Path de Paris, positioned there by his spouse and a variety of different bicycle lovers.
For at the very least the previous 25 years earlier than his loss of life in January 2021, Bedford was all the time “tinkering with bikes and would assist anyone,” fellow bike owner Jeff Jones mentioned about his pal. “Now, by means of the bicycle stations, Kenneth continues to assist others.”
A 39-year Coca-Cola Firm fleet mechanic, Bedford, was instrumental in establishing the Barber Hills Trails roughly 25 years in the past together with Jones, Clint Barber and Bryan Hargis. On the time, the U.S. Corps of Engineers closed a public driving space due to the invention of reside ammunition, and gave permission for using an space at Sander’s Cove.
“Kenneth might repair something and will make something on a bicycle work, and that’s the reason the restore stations are so nice,” Hargis mentioned as he defined the aim of the stations which are full with an air pump and a variety of instruments to suit numerous components of a motorbike. “Kenneth would adore it a lot as a result of it’ll assist folks, and that’s what he would all the time do.”
“He helped folks, , children arising within the neighborhood, those who had troublesome challenges,” Hargis mentioned. “He might piece issues collectively to maintain folks driving.”
Julia Trigg Crawford established a fund on social media to assist Cheri Bedford with bills when her husband died.
“I didn’t use the cash however saved it till I might do one thing to honor Kenneth,” the spouse mentioned. “That’s after I bought the thought for the bike restore stations as a result of it could be one thing Kenneth could be pleased with.”
Bedford mentioned she let it’s identified of her plans to place a station at Barber Hills and shortly assist got here from a variety of sources, sufficient for stations on the path close to the Paris Pump Observe, on the S. Collegiate Road crossing location and one other in Blossom.
“Greg Wilson and Shannon Jones put me in contact with the Better Paris Growth Basis, which allowed a fundraiser on social media, which funded three extra stations,’’Bedford mentioned. “Kelly and Grant Mallicote from Badge Caps furnished identification plaques and Richard Drake contributed slabs on the pump monitor and in Blossom.”
