South Royalton
Saturday’s fourth annual Pedal Power to the People will take cyclists on one of two gravel-grind routes through the scenic backroads surrounding the Tunbridge Fairgrounds.
It’s the largest annual fundraiser for Royalton Community Radio (WFVR-LP; 96.5 FM), an all-volunteer, nonprofit 100-watt station featuring more than 100 hours of original programming per week produced by residents of the Upper White River Watershed.
Proceeds aid the station with expenses such as licensing fees, equipment repair and upgrades and rent for its North Windsor Street studio, which is owned by Vermont Law School.
PPP’s $35 registration fee includes an event T-shirt and admission to the second NanoFest, also occurring Saturday at Tunbridge Fairgrounds and featuring 10 small Vermont breweries.
Two of those breweries, Tunbridge’s own Upper Pass Beer Company and Brocklebank Craft Brewing, had been vendors at previous editions of PPP, which also featured live music. This year, all of the beer and tunes will be at NanoFest, which will showcase bluegrass acts Turnip Truck and Red Barn Hayloft on a stage provided by Royalton Radio.
“We decided to piggyback with NanoFest this year, rather than setting everything up on our own on a different date like we’ve done in the past,” said Royalton Radio founder and board president Todd Tyson, of Tunbridge. “A lot of gravel riders like to drink beer when they’re done, so it’s the perfect marriage.”
Pedal Power to the People features a pair of theme rides through the area’s dirt and gravel roads, private trails and antique logging roads. Both routes will be signed.
The 10-mile Milk Run passes by five dairy farms while traversing three covered bridges and a number of brooks and ponds. The route gains 1,211 vertical feet.
The more strenuous Beer Run includes growler and howler options. The growler passes each of the aforementioned Tunbridge breweries, includes travel on private trails and, at 25 miles, entails nearly 3,600 feet of elevation gain. The howler is 10 miles shorter and passes one of the breweries.
“We’re going to have a (stop-and-go aid) station out there, and we’ll get people back to the Fairgrounds if they’re really exhausted by that point,” Tyson said. “We want people to enjoy themselves, but they’re routes designed so that riders can really go at it. They can really get some good speed on the downhills if they want.”
They’ll also get good views and perhaps make a furry friend or two. A portion of Chelsea Mountain Road features vistas of the Northfield mountain range, Killington and Pico, and farm animals abound.
“There are certainly a lot of critters along the way, a lot of horses and cows,” Tyson said. “If you look left on Ward Hill Road, there are normally some pigs basking in the sun. They’ll come right up to you to check you out. Of course, you could also see deer or even a bear while you’re out there.”
One thing riders aren’t likely to see while en route are many motorized vehicles.
“Aside from a paved section that’s about 4/10 of a mile, you could realistically see 2-3 cars, if that, during the whole rest of the route,” Tyson said. “Any traffic you see on many of these roads are going to be people who live there, and they’re very sparsely populated.”
Past editions of PPP have drawn a maximum of about 30 riders, Tyson said, and raised as much as much as $6,000 for Royalton Community Radio, with the help of grants from the Hanover-based Byrne Foundation and donations above and beyond registration fees.
More value comes from exposure the station receives during the event, which should increase this year by being linked with NanoFest.
“Craft beer, of course, is huge in Vermont, so NanoFest is going to draw people from the other side of the mountain in Bristol, people from the Burlington area, people from the Northeast Kingdom,” Tyson said. “They’ll see our banner up on the stage and say, ‘Hey, what’s this community radio station?’ and maybe check us out. And there are people from the towns we serve who might not know about us yet. They might learn about us and want to get involved.”
Being involved with the station has been rewarding for contributors such as Keenan Haley, of Barnard, who broadcasts Grateful Dead-themed program Help on the Way on Tuesday evenings, and South Royalton resident Bob DiBartolo, who produces three variety shows each week.
Other programs on Royalton Radio include talk shows such as Community Chat and Vermont Independent, as well as environmental news show Vermont GreenZine co-hosted by Tyson and Henry Swayze.
DiBartolo, who will be at the registration table on Saturday, produces three-hour-long music shows on Wednesday and Friday mornings as well as Saturday afternoon program Classic American Radio that explores popular music from the 1930s onward, with commentary and history about the artists and songs.
DiBartolo, who had no previous radio experience save for “a couple weeks in college,” cherishes the platform.
“Myself and a lot of people I talk to are amazed at how much talent there is living in this area,” DiBartolo said. “Musicians, artists, poets, naturalists, scientists, community activists, they’re all here and the radio station brings them together and makes them accessible. It’s a really cool thing.”
Jared Pendak can be reached at jpendak@vnews.com or 603-727-3225.