Fort Wayne & NE Indiana News

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New Bikes, Activities At Pedal City

When local entrepreneur Janelle Ford introduced “pedal pub bikes” to Fort Wayne early in 2014, she envisioned merging this unique form of downtown transportation with a facility that could serve as a sort of party headquarters for her new firm, Pedal City, LLC. One year later, in the spring of 2015, she saw this vision through by opening Pedal City Beer Garden at 1215 West Main Street, ideally located in the center of activity for one of Fort Wayne’s most vibrant neighborhood revitalization corridors.

NEW BIKE OPTIONS

Pedal City Beer Garden, which offers a full bar, has since evolved into a popular place for fun and games as well as unique forms of transportation for downtown revelers. The two original 15-passenger bicycles have been joined by two new American-made 13-passenger bikes, along with new two- and four-person surrey bikes. In addition, an electric-assist device has been added to the larger “beer bikes” to make them easier to pedal. The multi-passenger bike carts are popular for downtown pub crawls, scavenger hunts, history tours, birthday parties, bachelor or bachelorette parties, as well as customer-appreciation events and corporate team building. And for customers who prefer climate-controlled, enclosed transportation, a new party van recently has been added to Pedal City’s stable of fun transportation options.

PEDAL CITY FOOD AND BEVERAGE

Approaching its first anniversary of operation in May, the Pedal City Beer Garden has become that fun place Ford envisioned two years ago. In addition to offering a selection of 14 beers on tap and 80 bottled craft or imported beers, and a full-service bar, Pedal City also offers a rotating menu of grill-cooked or barbecued meats and appetizers, as well as pizzas, paninis, tacos, and quesadillas. Area food trucks occasionally set up at Pedal City, as well.

WEEKLY ACTIVITIES

Weekly specials go beyond food and beverages, as Pedal City also offers a full menu of fun activities:

  • Dog Date Night is on Tuesday night. This is a favorite event of Ford, an avowed animal lover, and many of Pedal City’s customers. While dogs are allowed in every day, this is their special night. This summer, there are many pet-lover activities scheduled for Tuesday nights, including adoptions, training, animal games, and animal group fundraisers.
  • Game nights provide opportunities for customers to compete in trivia contests, play bingo, euchre or Scrabble, and/or participate in corn hole and ping pong tournaments. These are offered on a rotating basis.
  • Music-related evening events happen Wednesday through Sunday. These include open mic night on Wednesdays; a deejay or a comedy group every other Friday night; acoustic nights on Saturdays, featuring local musicians; and Salsa Sunday dance lessons.

NEW EVENTS AND GAMES

A new event that will be offered once a month is Singles Awareness Night, providing an opportunity for area singles to come together for fun activities and conversation with other single people. Another new event is cigar night in partnership with Rudy’s Cigars, which will allow patrons to smoke their cigars on Pedal City’s patio or in its heated pavilion.

Pedal City also recently opened a new game center in the spacious back room of its facility that provides opportunities for playing corn hole, ping pong, double-shooter basketball, darts, and more activities soon to be added. The beer garden out back also is popular in the summer months.

NEW HOURS

Effective this month, the new hours of operation for Pedal City Beer Garden are 3 p.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Sunday. The pub bikes, surreys and party functions are available by appointment, subject to availability. For more information on Pedal City, its “beer bikes” or activity schedule, visit info, or call 260-415-6167.

Owner Janelle Ford is assisted in running Pedal City by Adam Murphy, Aja Ford, Edwin Marcano, and several other fun and energetic employees. The Fords are clients of the Northeast ISBDC, where they have received assistance with marketing strategies and public relations. To learn more about the NE-ISBDC, visit www.isbdc.org.