AMHERST, N.Y. – Daemen College students involved in a service learning project in Buffalo’s Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood have teamed up with Slow Roll Buffalo and The Broadway Market to host a free community bike ride at 6 p.m. Oct. 2.

Students planned the neighborhood ride for a project developed for a course on service learning, a core requirement for all undergraduate students that helps to integrate classroom learning with active participation in service activities in the community. The project is among many efforts and activities overseen by Daemen’s Paul A. Saffrin Center for Sustainability and Civic Engagement.

“Daemen students collaborated on this special event as part of a semester-long project that addresses ways cultural initiatives are integrated into economic revitalization of a community,” said Daniel Shanahan, assistant professor and coordinator of the entrepreneurism program, who is teaching the service learning course. “To assist with planning the bike ride, students interacted with stakeholders in the Broadway/Fillmore corridor to gain a deeper understanding of regional priorities.”

Slow Roll is an inclusive biking organization with the goal of bringing together Western New York residents to explore by bike a wide range of neighborhoods. In addition to enjoying the sights and sounds of the neighborhood, riders will have the opportunity to meet local business owners and others actively involved in the community at stops throughout the ride.

Participants are asked to gather prior to the start of the ride at The Broadway Market at 999 Broadway St., where market vendors will be open. The ride will end at The Broadway Market with a post-ride party featuring Flying Bison Beer, Chateau Buffalo wine, food from Marge’s Soul Food, Babcia’s Pierogi, East West Café, Potts Deli, and Chrusciki Bakery, and live jazz performed by Walter Kemp 3oh.

Free parking will be available at The Broadway Market parking garage as well as hundreds of bike racks located within the market.

Interested riders may register at slowroll.org or on site the day of the community ride.

Established in 1888, The Broadway Market is a historical landmark, functioning as a community gathering place and shopping center. Originally designed as a continuation of old world customs for recently arrived immigrants, the market continues to be a diverse meeting place for the community, reflecting the ever changing culture of Buffalo’s East Side.