Pre-registration required for outings planned through April 20
The Surrey Ride Program has returned as of Jan. 11, offering residents and visitors who are mobility-challenged a way to enjoy Sarasota County’s award-winning and highly popular Legacy Trail, the county has announced.
The program, which is a partnership between Sarasota County’s Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Department and the nonprofit Friends of the Legacy Trail (FLT), is offered from 9 a.m. to noon each Wednesday and Thursday through April 20, a news release says. Riders may sit back and enjoy the ride on a four-passenger, four-wheeled, canopy-covered surrey type of bicycle while Friends of the Legacy Trail volunteers provide the 45-minute pedal-powered trips, the release adds. The ride includes information about and the history of The Legacy Trail and its surroundings, the release notes.
People wishing to take the ride will find it at the Sandra Sims Terry Community Center at Laurel Park in Laurel. Pre-registration is required, the release points out. Space is limited to four participants per ride, per time slot, and participants must be willing to sign a waiver, the release notes. It is suggested that participants wear sun protection, a light jacket on cooler days and sturdy walking shoes. Registrants must have the ability to climb up one step onto the surrey bicycle, the release adds.
The Surrey Ride Program has been well received by passengers, and Friends of the Legacy Trail volunteer peddlers “have benefited greatly from meeting and visiting with the riders, organizers say,” according to the release. The surrey was a donation by the nonprofit organization to Sarasota County to promote The Legacy Trail and other county parks.
To pre-register for a free surrey ride, call 486-2757. The Sandra Sims Terry Community Center at Laurel Park is located at 509 Collins Road in Laurel.
For more information, contact the Sarasota County Contact Center at 861-5000 or visit www.scgov.net.