WEBC fundraiser assists creation of cycling trails at the Libro Centre

By Ron Giofu

The creation of cycling trails at the Libro Centre took a step further on the weekend.

The “Hops and Handlebars” fundraiser was presented Saturday night at G.L. Heritage Brewing Co. as a fundraiser for the Windsor-Essex Bike Community (WEBC). It was held in partnership with the Amherstburg Community Foundation, the latter donating $7,500 towards the cause.

“We’re super excited to be here,” said James Braakman, one of the directors of WEBC. “This is the culmination of about one month of fundraising. We have so much support from so many people.”

In addition to G.L. Heritage Brewing Co., Wolfhead Distillery and Dancing Swallows Winery were on hand serving beverages, with Braakman stating their contributions were also appreciated. The River Rock Ramblers provided the entertainment that evening with the Nat’s Wraps & Apps food truck selling food.

“We’re close to $30,000 and we hope this puts us over the top,” said Braakman.

WEBC is raising money for phase one of their plan, which involves creating trails and moving dirt. Their plan is to pay for the costs that are required to create the trails, but propose to use volunteer trail builders where they can.

It is the first of what the group hopes will be four phases over time, though phases two through four still need town council approval. The first trail will be built behind the large berm on the property, visible from the walking trail. It is on the other side of the berm from the rightcentre field area of the baseball diamond.

“Maintenance is a big cost for us to make it safe,” added Dave Doherty, another of the four directors with Ryan Henderson and Glyn Buck.

Braakman and Doherty said the town’s recreation department - including director of parks, facilities, recreation and culture

Heidi Baillargeon – have been helpful and they also thanked Jen Desjardins-Grondin, co-owner of G.L. Heritage Brewing Co., for her help as well.

Doherty said WEBC has built up a solid membership base and that includes bike shops and cyclists from around the area.

“It’s a long list of wonderful people,” said Braakman.

WEBC hopes to have the first trail open in June. “It’s truly a community effort.”

“This is a good project for Amherstburg,” said Henderson. “It’s going to make a lot of people happy.”

For more information on WEBC, visit www.webcride.com.

Motor and Marine Sports Expo presented by Libro Credit Union

By Fred Groves

Reaching out to the community was the theme behind a great event on Saturday in Amherstburg.

Bridging the public and some interesting motor and marine products was the concept at the Community Marine and Motor Show hosted by Libro Credit Union.

The parking lot was busy as Hammerhead Marine and Sport Co. set