On July 10th, 2021, Mt Gretna saw it’s first ever: Mt. Gretna Bike Fest.

It’s been several months since COVID restrictions have been lifted, and people are ready to party – it’s the roaring 20’s.

At 4:30pm we rode from the tennis courts in Gretna, through town, up to the top of Governor dick, and through the game lands to Kool-aids house

Koolaid supplied us with refreshing beers and we even got a chance to see his cat.

The excitement was building for the after party. Live music solidifies a social event like no other. Dave Hellman manned the guitar and mixed up the night with fan favorites and a handful of cycling inspired local songs.

At the nights peak, roughly 50 people, from all parts of life, were socializing and having a good time. It was sectored, as all social events go, but each group was enjoying themselves.

My young bike friends, my Lebanon friends, my high school friends, clients from our business, friends of Gretna, and most sizable, the Gretna riders.

What was surreal for me was: I was the spark for it all. I was certainly not the life of the party, But people kept thanking me for putting it on.

When I heard Dave say “big thanks to Nate Boyer for putting this event on” , and the following cheers, I felt deeply appreciated and respected. There was no reason for me to keep my head down and hide. I was Nate.

The foot down competition started slow; it was more difficult than I thought to get 50 people to move. But once the competition started, the crowd was pleased.

My favorite memories of the night were arguably molded in the last 30 minutes of Dave playing. Between songs, I grabbed the mic to announce the winners of the raffles. I looked out into the crowd, undisturbed by any anxious thoughts. I was finding my stride, and the crowd was amped with the winners of the raffles.

“Yo Nate!! Push up contest!” Finn, beamed at me, a command but also a question.

So after the next song, Dave had 10 guys doing push ups to his count.

The cheers built the energy in the Pavillion. One guy dropped… then another… I feared I would be the first, but soon Dave was yelling “down, up, 50, down, up 51…”

I was looked around and there were only 3 left, Brandon, Cam, and I. 54…. my leg was trembling as I became unstable. 56… I dropped. A few reps later the crowd exploded as Brandon dropped. Cam for the win!

The following morning I was riding bike just outside of Gretna, when I see Koolaid drive up by me with his wife. “Hey dude that was a great party last night!!”

But after it all, I’m just really stoked to bring people together to laugh and tell stories – to share together, a beautiful night in Mt. Gretna.