Slaughter Pen Festival Starts Friday

BENTONVILLE -- Volunteers with Friends at Slaughter Pen Trail have cut down weeds, cleared debris and marked intersections on the nine-mile loop at Slaughter Pen Mountain Bike Park for the last month.

It's all in preparation for the Slaughter Pen Jam Festival this weekend.

Activities for the three-day event will begin at 5 p.m. Friday as United States national champion Mike Steidly and Hungarian national champion Adrian Lengyel show their skills during a trials exhibition on the downtown square, according to a news release.

Trials are where competitors hop on the back wheel of a bicycle through an obstacle course without putting their foot down, said Gary Vernon, Friends at Slaughter Pen Trail president.

"It's a sport based on balance," he said.

Real Encounter will perform a BMX stunt show after the trials exhibition, the release states. Real Encounter has been featured on the television show "America's Got Talent."

Friday's activities are the best spectator elements of the festival, Vernon said. It's estimated that between 4,000 and 5,000 people watched the bike stunts last year.

Saturday is packed with activities from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The day will start with a 10K trail run at Slaughter Pen. Following that will be a bike parade, guided rides, educational classes, a dirt jump competition, a women's only bike ride, drag races and children's races.

Participants are encouraged to park at the Bentonville Bark Park at 2400 N. Walton Blvd. Shuttles will run to and from the event, according to the release.

The race village at Slaughter Pen will close at 5 p.m. with a dinner ride to the downtown square, the release states. The movie "Rad Company" will be shown outside at Lawrence Plaza at 8 p.m.

The Arkansas Mountain Bike Championship Series Races will happen Sunday at Slaughter Pen beginning with the juniors race at 7 a.m. The category 3, 2 and 1 races will follow, according to the release.

Online registration can be done at www.slaughterpenjam.com through Friday. Registration may also be done at the bike park Saturday.

"We're expecting about 300 racers," said David Wright, Parks and Recreation director. "From a festival standpoint, we're hoping for 2,000 participants."

Everyone is welcome to participate in the activities and celebrate cycling in Bentonville, Wright said.

The first Slaughter Pen Jam Festival was held in 2008 and was organized by FAST. This is the first year that the Parks and Recreation Department will manage it, with support and volunteer help from FAST.

"It really meets our mission of enhancing the quality of life for the residents of Bentonville," Wright said.

There are also economic and tourism aspects that benefit the city, he said.

The Parks and Recreation Department has a long-term vision to have the festival become to mountain biking what the Bentonville Running Festival has become to running, Wright said.

"We want this to be the premier biking event in this part of the country," he said.