Tour de Loop to celebrate trail opening

The community will celebrate the grand opening of the Luverne Loop Trail during a ribbon-cutting and “Tour de Loop” bike ride Thursday, June 1.
“We’re going to try to make it an annual event that’s on the Thursday before Buffalo Days,” Chamber Director Jane Lanphere said.
“It’s going to be a family-friendly community bike ride … and this year because we’re celebrating the completion of this beautiful trail system through our community, we’re pulling out all the stops.”
The ribbon-cutting will be at 5:30 p.m. at the trailhead building on East Main Street where ride maps and Tour de Loop instructions will be available from 4 to 7 p.m.
Bicyclists will ride the trails from 4 to 7:30 p.m. entering drawings at five individual stops for prizes that will be drawn at 8 p.m. (must be present to win). They need to pick up their number at the trailhead before they ride.
Prizes for youth and adults totaling $2,500 include Trek bikes, bike accessories, helmets, repair gift certificates and more.
Berry Fast Bike Equipment and Repair, Madison, South Dakota, will be at the Trailhead from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Luverne’s Second Mile Bicycles will offer bike adjustments from 4 to 6 p.m.
Wildflowers Food Trailer and Bluestem Catering will serve at 5 p.m. with music and free root beer floats from 6 to 8 p.m.
“We have great partners working with us on this, and it’s just going to be a fun night for everyone to come out,” Lanphere said.
More information about the ribbon-cutting and Tour de Loop is at luvernechamber.org or 507-283-4061.
 
About the Loop
The Luverne Loop offers 7.4 miles of trail around the outskirts of the city. By linking to the Blue Mounds Trail, the Loop provides users a safe route for recreation and transportation that connects areas of interest throughout Luverne and Rock County.
Trail users can access the Loop by parking at the Trailhead or at other public parking places along the route.
Starting at the trailhead, users can go counter-clockwise around the Loop by heading north on the Blue Mounds Trail past Luverne Aquatics & Fitness and turning west on 131st Street. Then, heading south on Hwy 75, users have the option to take the spur to the fishing pier at Veterans Pond or cross Hwy 75 and continue on the Loop. 
Along the Loop, users will pass by the Sanford Healing Garden, Veterans Pond and Fishing Pier, city pocket parks, Child’s Remembrance Garden, prairie views northwest of town, Luverne Public Schools athletic fields (Prairie View Complex), Nature Explore Classroom, Poplar Creek, restaurants, shops, and hotels along the I-90 / Hwy 75 commercial corridor, wildlife habitat and native grasslands, Dybedock Pond, the scenic Rock River and Redbird Field.
At the Luverne City Park, Loop users can also get on the Chris Ashby Memorial Trail that is 1.95 miles in length.
Starting on the east side of the Rock River near the Trailhead, the Ashby Trail crosses the Rock River, winds through the Luverne City Park and meanders east out of Luverne along Rock River Road and terminates at Rock County Road 9 near the Luverne Country Club.
An interactive map on the city of Luverne website, cityofluverne.com, provides more details.