Photos by Notley Hawkins

Ready, set, go! It’s time to gear up for the Pedaler’s Jamboree 2023.This bicycle and music festival, which started with just 400 riders in2009, is expecting more than 2,000 riders for this year’s event, says event director Mike Denehy.

The ride is an overnight weekend eventMay 27-28 covering more than 32 miles each day. It starts in Columbia at FlatBranch Park, goes to Boonville at Kemper Park, then back to Columbia.

Riders will get to make stops indifferent towns, experience new food and enjoy local music along the way. “It’s a slow rolling party with old and new friends,” Denehy says. “Just kick back and enjoy the migration from start to finish.”

Throughout the weekend-long event there will be bands playing at different routes, which Denehy hopes will encourage people to “discover something new. The whole adventure is taking new adventures as they come.”

Over the years, Denehy says the riders have become friends, and each year is“like a reunion of riders.” But don’t be intimidated if you’ve never attended before or haven’t been in a while, as Denehy says new friendships are always encouraged. “It’s a community of riders,” he says. And it doesn’t matter if you are an experienced rider or a novice, as all ages and abilities are welcome. “You don’t have to be the best athlete, just keep a positive attitude,” Denehy says.

Once the riders get to Boonville onMay 27, there will be hotel and motel accommodations, or registered riders are welcome to camp for free. On May 28, riders will pack up and prepare for their journey back to Columbia, but don’t worry as more music and food stops will be part of the trek home.

If you want to participate without having to make the more than 32-mile venture every day, people can purchase different passes for different parts of the festivities.

For non-riders with ticket passes to the Boonville festivities, gates open at 4 p.m. May 27. Free street-side parking will be located nearby.