By Correne Martin
The Gundersen Prairie du Chien Clinic hosted a Healthy Living Program on bicycle safety Wednesday afternoon, May 4, from which local children took home knowledge about riding their bikes, prizes and, in the case of six participants, brand new bikes.
This year’s program featured Ashley Erickson, a Prairie du Chien police officer, who educated about 50 children ages 4-14 and their parents about using hand signals, wearing properly-fitting helmets, knowing the parts of a bicycle, understanding stop light rules, crosswalk safety, railroad safety and looking both ways before crossing the road, among other information.
Following Erickson’s presentation, the anxious bunch alleviated their energy by putting their knowledge and skills to work on a challenging bicycle course in the Gundersen parking lot. Each child was also correctly fitted with a new helmet.
Kids were also treated to popcorn, cotton candy, animal crackers and drinks.