BY CALLY ANDERSON
Photo courtesy Hays Convention and Visitor’s Bureau
On Saturday, July 9th, more than 100 bicyclists and a bus tour will take to the roads of Ellis County as nonprofit Hays Area Bicyclists will be hosting the 3rd Annual Tour die Kapellen charity event.
This one-day event features a bike tour consisting of seven different routes chosen by the rider. While each bike tour will vary in length and terrain from 15 to 100 miles, consistently throughout the tours is the history of the Volga-Germans. The riders will have the opportunity to stop at historic limestone churches, view the history, and listen to professional musicians of the Hays Symphony at each location.
For those who wish to experience this culture learning tour but not on a bike, there is a bus tour where seats can be reserved. Participants on the bus will still stop at the same churches as the cyclists via a different route.
Once the tours are done, all participants will be served an authentic German meal.
Churches on the bike and bus tour include St. Catherine Church, The Basilica on the Plains, Holy Cross Church, and St. Francis Church.
Early registration, which includes a t-shirt, is due by June 24th along with registration for the bus tour. Registration will still be accepted after this date only for riders, including day-off registration.
For those interested, the registration link and more information can be found on their website: https://tourdiekapellen.com/ .