When you think of the Kiwanis Club of Logan, the term “Rodeo” often comes up. After I got whacked by a bull there one year, nobody knows this better than me.

Of course this weekend’s Kiwanis event won’t feature cowboys, cowgirls, Spanish fighting bulls or the even more terrifying chuck wagon races, but it should be just as fun, especially for the kids.

The Kiwanis Club of Logan will be having a Bicycle Safety Rodeo for children this Saturday at the Fountain Place Plaza.

Yes, that’s right. On August 22, from noon till 3 p.m. the Kiwanis Club will host a Bicycle Safety Rodeo at Fountain Place. The actual staging area will be where Thornhill has its factory outlet spot.

If you are a parent, with kids, you need to bring them to this event because the first 180 participants (kids 13 and under) will get a free helmet.

Kiwanis Club President Diana Barnett was so concerned about making this new event a popular one that she contacted area businesses about donating the helmets. If the Bicycle Safety Rodeo is successful – and I think it will be — it will probably become an annual event. Another good reason to come out to this event with your kids is that the Kiwanis Club will be giving out six bicycles as part of the fun.

The Hatfield-McCoy Regional Recreation Authority folks will be distributing their outdoor safety DVD kits for kids and will have a ranger on hand to provide kids with their own safety training program, which has been through many of the schools in our local counties. I have sat through this program and it is about more than just ATVs. Its about safety in the outdoors in general and respect for nature. I enjoyed it and I think you and your kids will too.

West Logan Police Chief Robert J. Ward will be on hand to offer free fingerprinting for kids. Robert has hundreds of cards and plenty of ink and will be offering these to parents, which could possibly help identify a child in the event they are lost or kidnapped, heaven forbid. I know Chief Ward very well. He likes kids and is looking forward to this. He will probably try to rope me into helping him as he knows I will get ink all over myself just like I get food all over myself, or paint, or whatever I am into at the time.

My old buddy Dave Allen from WVOW will be doing a live remote broadcast as part of the Bicycle Safety Rodeo too.

The event will feature different stages where members of the Kiwanis Club and others will be discussing safety advice with kids who will then ride their bikes through the stages. Every participant will also receive a ticket for a free hot dog and soda and the Logan Shriners Club will be doing the cooking. If you have ever had food from the Shriners, you know those fellows can cook.

The Shriners have become pretty high profile over the past year or so, which is a good thing. They help dozens of children in Logan and Mingo County by transporting them to Lexington for free medical care at a Shriners Hospital. I often run into the guys preparing the van for trips early in the morning.

If you are not a kid riding a bicycle, I am pretty sure you can get a hot dog and drink for a modest donation.

Drinks and music will be provided by Pepsi. Longtime Kiwanian Jim Frye actually brought the idea of a bike rodeo up a few months ago at a meeting. Jim is a good guy and he can always be counted on to support community activities.

This event would also be good for church youth groups to participate.

Remember the fun starts Aug. 22 at noon for participants and families. Kiwanis members and volunteers are asked to show up earlier around 8 a.m. to help set up and get ready. For more information contact Diana at 304-239-3710 or Kristi Adkins at 304-687-4177.

So parents, bring your kids and their bikes for what promises to be a day of fun and learning about safety.

• Speaking of civic clubs the Lions Club of Logan still has tickets available for their upcoming Rubber Duck Race fundraiser for a $5 donation each.

One lucky winner will take home $1,000 and you don’t have to be present to win. The last two winners were ten year-old boys, by the way. Contact a Lion today, as your donation will help Lions provide eyeglasses and seeing eye dogs to those who need them most.

• And my longtime friend Mavis Toler (Mavis is actually everybody’s friend) told me to make sure that I let the public know that on October 2 and 3 the yard sales will return to Man.