Events: Earthed Benefits Local Trails

The crowd lined up down the sidewalk waiting to be let into the theater Morgan Meredith

Lines formed outside the historic Regency theater in downtown Laguna Beach, California, and stretched around the corner as Earthed: The Law of Fives shared the marquee with Academy Award winning There Will Be Blood. Hundreds of mountain bikers had gathered to watch the latest Earthed film and help raise money for local trails.

The event was hosted by Bike Magazine, with Shimano and Felt, and raised $3,300 for local trails. Nearly 200 riders bought tickets for the rare opportunity to see the mountain bike film in a large-screen theater. When the film finished playing, many in attendance headed to an afterparty at Hennessey’s tavern, which lasted well into the night.

“We accomplished everything we set out to do,” said Lou Mazzante, Bike’s editor. “We raised several thousand much-needed dollars for local trails, and gave the local mountain bike community a good reason to come together.”

The event included a silent auction and raffle with dozens of prizes donated from Shimano, Felt, Fox, Crank Brothers, Oakley, Troy Lee, SixSixOne, Thule, Ergon, Adidas, Hoss, Price Point, Nike, Chrome, Kaenon, and the St. Patty’s Day Feast.

Bike would like to thank all the companies who donated prizes. We also would like to thank Dustin Brady at Shimano as well as Doug Martin and Andy Holmes at Felt, without whom the event would not have been possible.

Many Southern-California trails were damaged by brush fires last Fall and are in dire need of rehabilitation. Bike is working with trail groups and directly with local parks to donate the money where it is most needed.

The crowd packed into Hennessey's Tavern after watching the movie

I'm not a crook...but I did swipe a free pair Fuzzy Duds

This lucky young winner (left) won the grand prize Felt frame in the raffle. Morgan Meredith