Paradise Center adds display on wheels

One Sanders County organization has discovered an ingenious way to put old worn out bicycles to good use. They might have flat tires, broken chains, missing seats, bent frames, and are peppered with rust, but together, with their mismatched colors, styles and sizes, they have a purpose - a flashy fence.

The Paradise Center's bike fence presently has 24 bikes along a railing that separates the two parking lots. One of the latest bicycles was a Sears 24-inch single speed from Paradise resident Betty Meyer, who decided her riding days were behind her. "I haven't ridden in so long, I can't even remember the last time I got on a bike," said the 97-year-old Meyer, who attended Paradise School from 1930 to 1939. She guesses it was most likely over 20 years ago and it was probably when she had one of her grandkids in the children's seat on the back.

"This is how a lot of kids came to school," said Karen Thorson, who came up with the idea of the fence after seeing the one at M&S Meats in Rollins along Highway 93. Thorson is also secretary of the Paradise Elementary School Preservation Committee, the group that manages the Paradise Center. Karen, John Thorson, her husband, and Don Stamm, a member of the committee, started erecting the fence in late spring after getting several bikes donated to the center. "It's not really a fence, it's more to tell the story of the school," said Karen.

"Although not those of former students, bicycles emphasize and acknowledge the site as a former school," said Thorson, who also serves as the center's secretary. The bikes range from 20-26 inches and are a variety of brands with several of the popular Schwinn. Rob and Cheri Seli also recently donated two bicycles that are more than 40 years old and one 25-year-old child's bike, which John added to the fence Saturday.

John secured all the bikes to a metal railing with a zip tie, although they aren't concerned with them being taken, since nearly all of them are unusable in their present state. The bikes were all donated by Sanders County residents and several were provided by Paradise School alumni. "It looks really interesting and better than just a bare pipe," said Meyer. "I think anybody that sees it, loves it," she added. Some people donated multiple bikes. Karen said they'd like to get two more to complete the line, which is about 136 feet in length.

"I do like the fence because I feel it brings the past use as a school, with kids the primary focus, to the attention of the visitors to the Paradise Center. It also brings in an element of fun," said Judy Stamm, president of the Paradise Elementary School Preservation Committee.

They also have six smaller bikes, the smallest a 12-inch Bumblebee Transformer bike, which are lined along another rail at the end of the upper level parking lot. "We talked about painting them, but decided it was better to have them look as authentic as possible," said Karen, who plans to have an interpretive panel placed near the bikes. In addition, she'd like to have a QR (quick response) barcode reader at the bike station that when scanned with a smartphone, a fictitious verbal story about a bike could be heard.

They also have two bike racks that had been used by Paradise School students when the school was in operation. Although Karen said they don't know how old the racks are, they used to be positioned at the bottom of the hill about where the Paradise Center sign is located. They'd like to get some bikes for the racks. She's not sure where they will place them, but plans to repaint them first.