BOISE, Idaho — Jimmy Hallyburton co-founded the Boise Bicycle Project, a non-profit that makes it their mission to give everyone a chance to ride bikes.
In 2018, the long running festival called Tour De Fat decided not to come back to Boise so the Boise Bicycle Project started their own event called the Boise Goathead Fest.
“So when Tour De Fat left they helped us fund our very first Goathead Fest," said Hallyburton. "We sort of scrambled and put something together and now it has been six years and it has grown into one of the largest bicycle festivals in the country."
The Boise Goathead Fest happens on Saturday starting with a pedal powered parade at 11:00 a.m. in front of the Idaho State Capitol. The party continues until five with live music, drinks, and family-friendly fun where costumes are encouraged.
"We are going to have the Boise Circus Guild and the Idaho Wrestling Club so there is just a bunch of stuff going on. Lobo Lara and Joshy Soul are our two music performances," said Whitney Shrader of the Boise Bicycle Project. "It's super wacky and that stems from our goathead picking efforts."
Goatheads are a cyclist's worse nightmare, as the puncture vine has sharp nutlets that cause flat tires. Every year volunteers pick goatheads before and it's looking to be another big year.
"It’s hard to tell sometimes, but we estimate between 7,500 to around 10,000 pounds," said Shrader. "Part of what we do at the Boise Bicycle Project is help kids and other people commute and use their bicycles."
Over the years, the Boise Bicycle Project has focused its efforts on underserved neighborhoods where a flat tire might hurt more. It's been a community effort with a lot of hard working volunteers who can earn prizes depending on how many pounds they pull.
"What we found is we are fixing flat tire after flat tire from goatheads, and we were like 'Okay, this is making a difference,'" said Hallyburton. "But, what if everyone was pulling goatherds around town? How would that help us build a better, stronger, bicycle community?"
The festival celebrates that hard work, and if you plan on going, organizers ask you to register. They suggest donating $6, as that money goes back into the festival and also their efforts to refurbish bikes and then give them to kids at Christmas.
"We donate thousands of bikes to kids every single year, then we go into their neighborhoods and teach them how to fix them up," said Hallyburton. "You all have done a great job of covering that story."
The Boise Bicycle Project accepts donations throughout the year, but people can also donate their old bikes by dropping them off at the BBP headquarters.
This will be Jimmy's last year running the show at the Boise Goathead Fest. He is now the Boise City Council President.
"This will be a special one for me. And then next year will be pretty special, as I get to come as a Boise bicycle community member," said Hallyburton.
