Brie Montes-Bacon knew she needed to get outside and get moving. She knew she needed to do something beyond her computer and cellphone screen. And she knew she liked doing activities with other people, but safely.
The urge to get outside and do something became an entire biking club, with Montes-Bacon as the captain in Southwest Germantown, riding through the trails at Fernhill Park.
Brie and her wife, Kim Montes-Bacon, moved to Germantown near the park five years ago. Both were raised in Philly. After thinking about the joy she got after a bike ride in West Philly before the pandemic, she bought an electric bike.
One of her neighbors, Mekia Elizabeth, saw her and Kim out on the electric bikes. She suggested they start a biking club together in the park, and it’s been a regular thing every Wednesday night.
Kim usually stays behind and sets up a big jug of water and snacks for everyone. Brie and some other adults usually guide the kids all through the park on the rides. They’ve got kids as young as two-year-olds on little balance bikes to 13-year-olds. Brie said she knows the kids are having a good time being able to move beyond their short blocks next to the park and not be afraid of traffic and cars.
“So I think for them, it’s definitely been about, you know, having a space that they can really like, let loose, you know… go around in circles and go do laps down the other end of the park, slide down big, giant hills,” said Brie.
Kim said they also really like stopping and picking wineberries in the middle of their rides. Wineberries are one of the fruits they’re growing as part of their food forest at Fernhill, one of the programs they are doing with the Friends of Fernhill Park. Both Kim and Brie are part of the Friends group, and they know it’s been a strong part of how they’ve been able to integrate into the neighborhood and form trusting relationships with the kids and their adult neighbors.
Kim explained that all their activities are part of how they build a community together.
“Like, it all ties back into a bike club because we’re all community members. We all go to Friends of Fernhill meetings. We go to our Fun Fridays, [and] our garden community days. So just keeping the kids, like, active and seeing that the adults are active helps them to want to follow in a good path. That’s my goal at the end,” said Kim.
Both Kim and Brie have noticed the impacts. In just the short time they’ve lived on their block, they can see less fighting amongst the kids. Kim says it’s apparent when she opens her door for fresh air.
“The other day, there was an argument on my street outside. Who are you guys arguing with? They’re like, Miss Kim, we’re so sorry. I was like, I hear a lot of curse words. They’re like, I know we didn’t mean it. We apologize. So even while they’re riding their bikes on their street, they know that we can hear them. So they try to be respectful with each other and not be fighting with each other,” said Kim.
They even gather the kids by going right to their doors and knocking, announcing that the biking club or art club (another activity they are doing in the park) is starting. Kim is comfortable with this because she saw her own mom do the same thing on the Philly block she grew up on. Brie said it reminds her of how she used to grow up.
“Like, we live on Fernhill. We stay in the house mostly, in front of the computer screen. And, like, we kind of lose that sense of community, honestly, because I guess if I compare it to my childhood when I was growing up, I was outside all the time,” said Brie.
Local parent and neighbor Roger Estes and his six-year-old Arthur wanted to find a biking group in his area where they could bike together. They found the Fernhill club and enjoyed the community right away.
“The thing I like about bike club is it’s just purely about riding bikes,” said Estes. “Like, it’s not trying to wear fancy jerseys or anything. You know what I mean? We’re just trying to ride bikes here, and that’s what it’s all about. And that’s why I think it’s a great thing, you know?”
Estes was a coach for the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) and has been riding bikes in the city for 20 years. Now, he helps Brie guide the kids on rides through the tunnels and down the hills and usually helps more than one popped-off loose chain back into place.
He noticed the club was getting a good turnout and wanted to ensure the kids had helmets. He found an online bike store going out of business and bought as many bike helmets as possible. They handed them out in a recent bike club session.
Estes recommends anyone interested in biking more in the city just assume that if they see a car, they might run them over. He said it’s a harsh reality, but in the 20 years he’s been riding in Philadelphia, he’s been hit by a car five times. He also recommends getting bright lights if you ride at night and wear bright clothes. But overall, he recommends just being extra vigilant as you’re riding.
And if you want to start your own biking club on your block or near your own park? Brie recommends simply making yourself known. She knows they had the advantage of Mekia Elizabeth being a block captain and building those relationships.
“Like, I can’t, you know, be a hermit in the house all day, every day because the kids, they’re not gonna respect you, right? They don’t know you. Like, who are you?” says Brie.
Visit the Friends of Fernhill Park website to contact the Biking Club of Fernhill Park and learn more about the programs that the Montes-Bacons offer.
