MAXEYS, Ga. — The ninth annual Firefly Trail Ticket to Ride, third annual Union Point Firefly Trail Festival and second annual Firefly Funfest in Athens will be held Saturday, March 28, to raise funds and awareness for the effort to enhance health, safety, active transportation, community pride and economic opportunity by creating a 39-mile, multi-purpose rail-trail from Athens to Union Point.

The Ticket to Ride is a mass participation bicycle event held on paved roads close to the future route of the trail, which will be built on or near the historic corridor of the Georgia Railroad Athens Branch. An event for fun and awareness, the non-competitive ride features options up to 83 miles, beautiful countryside, friendly towns, on-road vehicle support, and restrooms, snacks and beverages every 9-10 miles.

A unique feature of the Ticket to Ride is that participants can choose any of three points to begin their ride – Dudley Park in Athens, the Winterville Depot in Winterville, or downtown Union Point. These options allow riders to pick the most convenient starting/ending point for them.

Each terminus of the future trail — Dudley Park in Athens and downtown Union Point — will host festivals in conjunction with the ride.

In Athens, the second annual Coldwell Banker/Upchurch Realty Firefly FunFest will feature the Inaugural Classic City Duck Race on the North Oconee River. You can sponsor as many rubber ducks as you like for $5 per duck at https://rafflecreator.com/pages/34736/ticket-to-ride-the-inaugural-classic-city-duck-race. The sponsor of the first duck across the finish line will win a grand prize of $1,000. The FunZone will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with giant inflatables for adults and kids, live music, food trucks, a beer garden (registered riders age 21 and over get one free pour with ID), and a live remote broadcast by Bulldog 93.3. Some parts of the festival will remain open until the ride officially ends at 4:30 p.m.

In Union Point, the second annual Union Point Firefly Festival will include live music, storytelling, food trucks and a beer garden downtown near the historic Union Point Theatre. The festival will include raffles for and adult bike and a kid’s bike, donated by Georgia Cycle Sport. Proceeds from the Union Point festival will remain in Greene County to spur creation of the Greene County portion of the trail.

“This event has grown every year, and with three starting points, two festivals, a strong reputation as a great ride, the support of wonderful communities, and the beauty of Northeast Georgia, we are planning for 300 or more riders this year,” said Firefly Trail President Mark Ralston. “It’s a lot of fun for a great cause. When completed, the trail will provide tremendous health, safety and economic benefits for people and communities up and down the corridor.”

“The 13 miles from Union Point to Maxeys are the flattest on the entire route,” notes Union Point native and Firefly Trail board member Lisa Baynes. “Plus, Union Point is convenient for riders from Augusta, Macon and the Conyers area, as well as being well-known in the cycling community for the outstanding mountain biking at Hart Farms/Corry House Trails. With a Ticket to Ride starting point here and a model mile in the works, we’re really putting our town on the map for riders from across our state.”

Volunteers are vital to the event, and numerous opportunities are available. All volunteers receive a free t-shirt. For information or to sign up, go to https://signup.com/go/FcNyLCJ.

Pre-registration is now available on Active.com. Adults are $40 each, students are $30, and teams of 5-12 riders can pre-register as a group for $35 each. Ride-day registration will be $45 for adults and $30 for students. Admission to the festivals is free; duck sponsorships are $5 each, and tickets for activities at FunFest are $1 each. All proceeds from the ride benefit Firefly Trail Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to helping local communities build the Firefly Trail. A portion of Duck Race proceeds will benefit the Athens-Clarke County North Oconee River Greenway system.

Full details, including online registration, route maps and duck sponsorships, are available at www.fireflytrail.com. 

Here are key facts about the event:

• Day-of registration will open at 8 a.m. at all three locations. Cash, checks and debit/credit cards accepted in Athens and Winterville; cash and check only in Union Point.
• Riders starting from Athens who plan to ride 50 miles or more will start at 9 a.m.
• Riders starting from Athens who plan to ride less than 50 miles will start at 9:30 a.m.
• Riders starting from Winterville or Union Point will start at 9 a.m.
• Parking in Athens will be in the Dudley Park/Greenway lot off East Broad Street. Overflow parking, if needed, will be at Trail Creek Park.
• T-shirts are guaranteed to riders who register before March 15 and will be available thereafter while supplies last.
• Riders must be prepared to share the road with motor vehicles.
• Helmets are required, and riders must obey all Georgia laws related to bicycle operation.
• Rest stops will be located in Athens, Winterville, Crawford, Maxeys and Union Point.
• One-way distances are 7.7 miles from Athens to Winterville, 11.4 miles from Winterville to Crawford, 9.7 miles from Crawford to Maxeys, and 12.7 miles from Maxeys to Union Point.
• Volunteers driving support vehicles will patrol the course to assist participants who are too tired to continue or have mechanical problems.
• The course will close at 4:30 p.m.

Progress on the trail has picked up steam in recent months. In addition to the existing 0.8-mile of trail in Athens, construction is nearly complete on 0.7 miles in Maxeys, and underway on more than a mile in Winterville. Union Point is in the final stages of planning a 0.6-mile segment, and Athens-Clarke County is working on a two-phase project that will connect the existing trail with the trail in Winterville. ACC also has decided on a design for the Firefly Bridge over Trail Creek.