Rope, Ride, And Ribbit
Sonora, CA — Tuolumne and Calaveras Counties are promoting the three events in May all at once; The Mother Lode Parade and Roundup (Rope), the Amgen Tour of California (Ride) and the Jumping Frog Jubilee (Ribbit)! Together the events are being promoted as the “Rope, Ride and Ribbit”.
According to Bruce Tepper, Marketing Consultant for the Tuolumne County Visitors Bureau, “Having all 3 events in 8 days makes us the hottest ticket in Northern California!”
He goes on to say, “It will be a week like none in our history based on past experience. Historically the Mother Lode Parade and Round Up and the Jumping Frog Jubilee have always been major tourist attractions for the foothills, however the addition the Amgen Tour of California (ATOC) is likely to easily double or triple the number of visitors we’ve seen in the past for these events.”
On the Wednesday after the Mother Lode Roundup weekend, May 16, bicyclists will set off from Sonora for the Amgen Tour. It will be the longest ride of the entire event, a grueling ride to Clovis. Tepper said, “To put it in perspective: It is the 3rd largest bicycle race in the world and the largest in North America. It’s covered on cable TV in over 150 countries and provides incredible exposure for our area. Start cities in this event often attract 25,000 to 50,000 spectators!”
At the kickoff reception on February 9th at the Sonora Opera Hall, organizers will announce the final route. The City of Sonora and a variety of community organizations including the Visitor’s Bureau are expected to coordinate hundreds of volunteers. Those interested in volunteering should contact the Tuolumne County Chamber of Commerce at 532-4316.
Tepper provides more details about what the marketing committee is doing to make this event a success in his blog posted this morning, “Rope, Ride, Ribbit.“
