[BobbyB]

Lighthouse-to-Lighthouse Bike Ride set for Saturday
BY PAUL J. GORZKOWSKI | SENTINEL STAFF



Still Waters Baptist Church will host a fundraiser bike ride on Saturday, Sept. 8, for Jimmy Blackwell of Manteo, who was diagnosed with ALS in January. Also pictured is Harrison Haggard, 11, Blackwell's neighbor, who will participate in the bike ride.

Still Waters Baptist Church will host its sixth annual Outer Banks Lighthouse-to-Lighthouse Bike Ride on Saturday, Sept. 8.

Pastor Tony Facenda of Still Waters Baptist Church of Nags Head said this year's event will be different from previous bike-riding events held by the church.

"In the past, the bike rides were recreational," said Facenda. This year the ride is a fundraiser to benefit Jimmy Blackwell, 50, of Manteo who was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS) in January.

ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. According to the ALS website, "A majority of instances of ALS are not hereditary." Facenda said there was no history of ALS in Blackwell's family.

Blackwell moved to the Outer Banks in 1996 from Virginia and was an employee of the Dare County Public Works Department before his diagnosis in January. He is the husband of Elaine Blackwell and the father of Katie Blackwell, a student at Manteo High School.

Facenda said, "Blackwell now uses an electric wheelchair and is having increased difficulty in speaking."

Facenda said the church has already raised $1,500 to $2,000 in pledges and cash on hand. "We are hoping to raise $5,000. We are also accepting donations from people who are not biking. We're hoping to have 50 bikers, but we are capable to handle 100. We have 25 volunteers."


Bikers have a choice of a 25-mile, 50-mile, or 75-mile bike ride between Currituck Lighthouse and Bodie Island Lighthouse. All bikers will take the route on bike paths on NC 12. "No biking will be done on the by-pass," said Facenda.

Registration deadline is Friday, Sept. 7. Registration fee for adults is $25 and children $15. Fundraiser minimum is $50 per adult. No minimum for children accompanied by an adult.

All bike riders will meet at Still Waters Baptist Church located at Mile Post 10 in Nags Head on Driftwood Street. The bikers will be taken by vehicle to the lighthouse starting point, "whichever one puts the wind to the riders back."

The 25- and 50-mile bike rides will begin at 9 a.m. and the 75-mile ride will begin at 8 a.m. Breakfast will be served promptly at 7 a.m. Registration in person may be done at Still Waters Baptist Church; by mail to Still Waters Baptist Church, POB 148, Nags Head, NC 27959;. or on the web at stillwatersbaptist.org. Call 255-1835.

paul@obsentinel.com | 480-2234

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