Two of my favorite things, other than running, are cycling and chasing history. I just found out about two opportunities that fit those interests. On Aug. 23, there is an annual charity cycling event sponsored by All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Concord. The event offers fully supported 50k, 50-mile and 100k routes that wind their way through the beautiful countryside of eastern Cabarrus and Rowan counties. It’s a wonderful event that draws cyclists from all over our area. The All Saints rides are known for their great rest-stop snacks, a delicious post-ride lunch and a post-ride beer garden sponsored by Cabarrus Brewing.

Safely pulling off the multi-distance cycling event with well-supported rest stops requires the assistance of four other churches, two private landowners, a Boy Scout troop, the Concord Police Department, the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office, the Cabarrus-Stanly Ham radio operators, numerous volunteers and financial sponsorships from local businesses. This is the 13th annual All Saints Episcopal cycling event, and to date it has raised more than $130,000 for local charities and collected more than 12.5 tons of food to feed the hungry in our community. One-hundred percent of the proceeds from Tour de Saints 2025 will be donated to the following local organizations: Early Childhood Foundation of Cabarrus County, Cabarrus Meals on Wheels, CVAN, Community Free Clinic, Habitat for Humanity, Cooperative Christian Ministry, and the Salvation Army’s Tucker Center of Hope.

Rowan County rest stops are at St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church in Gold Hill and Organ Lutheran Church in Salisbury. All rest stops along the route offer Gatorade, water, snacks (fruit, baked goods, pickle juice, etc.), and either restrooms or portable toilets. Rest stop lemon bars are very popular! Usually somewhere between 200 and 300 riders compete.

Jennifer Cook of Landis is one of the co-directors. She said, “We invite area cyclists to join us because, at its heart, the Tour de Saints is all about community. It is an opportunity to have fun and connect with other cyclists while also supporting individuals in our communities who are in crisis. Many riders come back every year to experience our beautiful and well-supported route and the camaraderie of the event.  My event co-directors are Ben Smith and Joy Marie DeBlock. We can be contacted with questions at tourdesaints@allsaintsconcord.org.  In addition to riders, we are always looking for additional event sponsors. Interested parties can contact us via email for that as well.” 

Here is a link to their website: https://tourdesaints.com/index.html

Also, the Price of Freedom Museum on Weaver Road is participating in the Miles for Museums Summer Passport Program. Created by the Eastern Cabarrus Historical Society in 2023, the program was expanded with a redesigned passport, interactive map, and website created by the Matthews Heritage Museum. This fun, family-friendly program encourages community members and visitors to explore local museums and communities throughout the summer while collecting passport stamps along the way for a chance to win prizes.

The Miles for Museums program offers free or low-cost adventures with an educational twist, giving participants the opportunity to learn about regional history while discovering new places across the area. Visitors can begin their journey by picking up a passport at the Matthews Heritage Museum, then collecting stamps from each of the participating museums.

The program is free and runs through Labor Day. To collect a stamp, simply present your passport at each museum. Once you’ve visited all 13 locations, take a photo of your fully stamped passport — making sure the section with your name, phone number, and email is visible — and email it to info@milesformuseums.org to be entered into a drawing for the grand prize.

Participating museums:

• Badin Historic Museum — Badin
• Eastern Cabarrus Historical Society Museum — Mt. Pleasant
• Historic Rosedale — Charlotte
• Hugh Torance House & Store — Huntersville
• Kings Mountain Historical Museum — Kings Mountain
• Matthews Heritage Museum — Matthews
• Mint Hill Historical Society / Carl J. McEwen Historic Village — Mint Hill
• Mount Holly Historical Society — Mount Holly
• Oakboro Museum of History & Oakboro Railroad Museum — Oakboro
• President James K. Polk State Historic Site — Pineville
• Price of Freedom Museum — China Grove
• Stanly County History Center — Albemarle

For a map of all locations, FAQs, and more information, visit the new website: www.milesformuseums.org

The next race locally is the Shiloh Run for Missions 5K and Fun Run on June 28 at Shiloh Reformed Church in Faith. Look for this and other coming events at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org