TROY — Rock the Bike Music Festival will be Sept. 16 in downtown Troy.
The organizers of the annual Tour de Donut Bicycle Challenge have selected Troy as their new home. This bicycle challenge will take place Sept. 16 and will start and finish around the square of historic downtown Troy.
Rock the Bike Music Festival will feature favorite local, area and regional acts. Additionally, there will be food truck selections.
The first stage act at 10:30 a.m. will be the Columbus Zoo. Zookeepers will introduce animals and speak about their individual habitats, status in the wild and conservation issues.
At 9 a.m., the Troy Farmers Market, along South Cherry Street between Main and Franklin streets, will be open until 2 p.m. The Troy, Miami County Public Library’s Bookmobile will be at the farmers market during these posted hours.
From 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Department will showcase an exhibit, titled “Know Your River.” This will be part of a new mobile event for all ages with emphasis on kids. The event will expose the community to all of the natural wonders, recreational opportunities and safety while enjoying the river.
The event will have self-guided stations, where children will receive stamps and sticker books to be used at each station. Once they have worked through all the stations, they will receive goodie bags.
The Troy Fire Department will have its safety squad on hand and will discuss fire safety with the kids.
Lastly, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Maddie, a face painter, and Howie, a balloon artist, will keep entertain children. They will be located in the South Market Street block where additional kid’s activities will take place.
Tent camping will be available at Troy Community Park with RV camping at the Miami County Fairgrounds.
Growing from 106 participants to more than 2,000, Tour de Donut has been a sweet ride for Ohio’s largest one-day bicycle event. However, the 2,000 number cap has been increased to 3,000 in order to accommodate the growing demand of interested cyclists who travel to this event from more than 30 states.
Rock the Bike Music Festival will begin Friday, Sept. 15, and continue until 10 p.m., Saturday.
Taking the stage Friday at 5:45 p.m. will be Cory Breth. Returning by popular demand will be The Floorwalkers, who will take the stage at 7 p.m.
Saturday’s lineup will begin early with the start of the 11th annual Tour de Donut which will depart from the square at 8:30 a.m. Downtown activities begin with 9 a.m. sidewalk sales From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., shuttles will transport folks to and from the Waco fly-in and to Indian Creek Distillery.
Stage entertainment begins at 10:30 a.m. and will run throughout the day until 10 p.m. Beer and wine sales will be available starting at noon.
At 12:15 p.m., the Ashley Martin Band will perform.
Appearing at 3 p.m. will be Seventh Street. Appearing at 5 p.m., The Fries Band will perform.
Eric Jerardi will take the stage at 7:30 p.m.
Wrapping up the whole weekend, Adventures on the Great Miami will be available at Treasure Island for canoe and kayak rentals. Hours will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday through Sunday, at a cost of $10 per hour, per person.
Tour de Donut registration remains open until the rider limit is reached or until the Sept. 1 deadline. Registration will not be available the day of the event. For information, visit www.thetourdedonut.com.
Volunteers are needed to help with beer and wine sales. To volunteer, visit www.troymainstreet.org/rockthebike .
