Gear up your bike and get excited for the 4th Annual Space Race Rumpus Family Cycling Festival! Slated for Friday, June 12th-14th, this unique event is held at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in Green Bank, WV, which is home to the World’s Largest Steerable Telescope (GBT: Green Bank Telescope). Over the weekend, there will be cycling clinics and a race on the Cyclocross Course beside the 7 radio telescopes and the 485-foot tall GBT. Mountain and road biking enthusiasts are encouraged to participate in this event and all ages and bike riding experience levels will be accommodated for.

Your registration includes a t-shirt, cycling clinics, race and ride support, post-race/ride refreshments, kids’ activities, a buffet dinner on Saturday night, a campsite with bathhouse facilities, live music, movie showings in case of rain, and festive bonfires with star gazing!

Check-in begins on Friday the 12th from 11am-7pm at the Science Center. There will be Beginner/Intermediate/Challenging Mountain and Road Rides ranging from 1-3 hours. Dinner is served from 5:30-7pm followed by hula hooping family fun and a concert. The Rumpus stage will welcome the Wyatt Turner band at 7:30pm. Turner possesses one of those instant-classic country voices. You’ll find that his natural charm, infectious sense of humor and effortless stage presence makes him strikingly charismatic. For more info, visit WyattTurnerBand.com. A bon-fire will conclude the evening’s entertainment.

On Saturday, breakfast is served from 7:30am-9am in preparation for bike rides, races, and clinics starting at 8am. From 10am-5pm, kids will be entertained with outdoor activities on the NRAO’s Star Party Patio. Lunch is served at noon and a group Buffet Dinner and cold drinks (from Big Timber Brewery in Elkins, WV) is served at 6pm. There is no cost for this dinner, it’s included with your registration! Race Awards will be held promptly after dinner followed by a concert from 8-9pm with the funk’n rock and soulful blues sounds of Anthony Rosano and The Conqueroos. Hailing from Norfolk, Virginia, they mix blues with heavy doses of funk, rock, and jam band influences. If modern blues with a no holds barred drive is your thing you will love this show! Hear them now at Reverbnation.com/AnthonyRosano. During the performance, kids and families will enjoy sack races, hula-hoops, and fun with chalk. Bon-Fire and stargazing will be held at 10pm.

On Sunday, you’ll wake up to breakfast from 7:30-9am and biking begins at 9am with a Beginner/Intermediate 3 hour Group Ride and a Toddler Trek Race. Beginning at 10am there will be Mountain Bike and Road Rides, lasting 1-3 hours. Lunch will conclude the festivities, served from 1-2:30pm

Whether you are a beginner bike rider or in advanced level, don’t miss this fun event. You’ll condition your body during the day and enjoy tours of the extraordinary night sky. Proceeds for this event will help the community build a Wellness and Fitness Center in the Green Bank area! Other events at the NRAO this month include Star Lab on Friday the 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th, and July 3rd. These are held at 2pm and the cost is $3. On Saturday the 20th at 8pm, you’ll be treated to views of the night sky through optical telescopes with Star Party. High Tech Thursday, which is a guided tour through parts of the facility, normally off limits to visitors, is scheduled for the 11th, 25th and July 9th. For more information about these events and the Space Race Rumpus, visit gb.nrao.edu.