NORFOLK – When his 7-year-old son was killed in a pedestrian/car accident, Dave Bos couldn’t stand by and let another tragedy happen.
On Saturday, kids and parents in the Norfolk community gathered at Park Park for the 12th annual Landon Bos Memorial Bike Rodeo.
In 2007, Landon Bos was riding his scooter when an accident involving a car took his life. The very next year, his father Dave Bos and a group of Norfolk residents came up with an idea to hold an awareness event for children to promote safety.
“If we can get one child to cross the street properly or get off their bike and walk it across instead of running across, that is what it’s all about,” Dave Bos says.
When kids arrive at the rodeo, they first learn how to take safety precautions before they get on the road. Free helmets were provided to children who didn’t have one and volunteers ran checks on bikes to make sure everything fit and was working property. Finally, the kids had their chance to navigate their bikes and scooters through paths, obey road signs, and avoid obstacles with the help of volunteers and police officers.
“Everything from stop signs to crosswalks, vehicle issues, construction issues that kids need to think about and look for when riding,” says Norfolk Chief of Police Don Miller.
At first, the bike rodeo was a makeshift course drawn out in chalk at a local parking lot, but with some funds and volunteers, the new bike park was built in Landon’s honor next to the Norfolk YMCA.
Now, after 12 years, Dave Bos and many Norfolk residents hope the memory of Landon and the bike rodeo continues to make a difference and teach kids how important it is to be safe when near or on streets.