With summer in full swing, Duluthish is hosting a “bike party” at Valley Youth Center’s Teen Center every fourth Friday of each month from May through September. 

“We have so many community events, but not everybody feels a part of those events. For this, this is a chance for everybody to come together,” said Duluthish Founder Kevin Anderson II. “There’s something for everybody, but also to a shining light on people that have been doing it for a long time in the community like the Valley Youth Center, you know, like when it comes to food access and everything like that. But also parties that don’t interact with each other to have that connection.” 

The first bike party included several partnering organizations, including Ski Hut. 

“We’re always happy to be out here showing people how to air up tires, how to tighten a chain or lube a chain, things like that. Even change an inner tube if need be,” said Ski Hut employee Connor Beer. “We’ve got long winters here in northern Minnesota, and so just being able to see kids get out and ride around on bikes and stuff is… I think it’s just one of the most cathartic and best things that you can do in the summer.”

The bike party also had access to other resources, such as Community Action Mobile Markets. 

“Not only do we want to be a resource, we want to be somewhere, something where folks can come, your kids can have fun. You can just sit back and relax for a bit because things are already hard enough,” said Anderson. “I don’t think enough of us are able to take that breath and to like really enjoy where we’re at.”