“Makers Ball” Celebrates Ten Years of Building Bikes in Arlington

The Phoenix Bikes Makers’ Ball and 10th Birthday Bash was held in Arlington, Virginia a few weeks ago as a fundraiser for the Phoenix Bikes program. Phoenix Bikes “educates youth, promotes bicycling, and builds community.” Teenagers are taught skills such as bicycle mechanics. They build a bike for someone in the community and after they complete this project they can build a bike for themselves.

Doug and Melissa Landau were invited guests. The Landaus were introduced to the young cyclist/mechanics, who proudly showed off their work on recycled bikes. Lawyer Landau even noticed one young biker had a Schwann “Varsity” model, which is the same model Landau used to deliver newspapers as a boy in Northern New Jersey.

Melissa Landau compares notes with Henry Dunbar, Phoenix Bikes Board Member
Melissa Landau compares notes with Henry Dunbar, Phoenix Bikes Board Member

Landau brought a dozen bike helmets in sizes that would fit these teenagers, as well as information about bike injury and head trauma. There was a silent auction, crafts, posterior demonstration, food, and a lot of networking among various members of the DC metro in Northern Virginia bicycling.