This Year's Chicago Bike Week Includes A 'Ferris Bueller' Scavenger Hunt

By Stephen Gossett in News on Jun 13, 2017 8:05PM

'Ferris Bueller's Day Off'

America's most bike-friendly city (don't you know?) is gearing up for perhaps its most anticipated stretch of the calendar. Yes, Chicago Bike Week is almost back, and this year's slate of events, including a Ferris Bueller's Day Off-themed scavenger hunt (!), looks like it won't disappoint.

Chicago Bike Week runs starts this Friday, June 16 and runs through the 23rd. It kicks off with the annual Bike to Work Rally, at Daley Plaza, from 7 to 9 a.m. As usual, you can expect giveaways, “bike-themed entertainment” and some educational outreach from friendly, in-the-know folks in the cycling community. And the weeklong Bike Commuter Challenge is back, too, so you can team up or companies can encourage employees to participate—and see all the calories fall and carbon dioxide saved.

Beyond the old favorites, a few other events jumped out. There's a Juneteenth Ride put together by the great Slow Roll Chicago organization from 6 to 9 p.m. (Location TBD). There's a Wine & Workshop at Tailwind Cycles (3140 W. Montrose Ave.) on Thursday, June 15—because a little vino helps cut down any intimidation factor you might feel in conquering basic maintenance. And then there's the aforementioned Ferris Bueller's Day Off scavenger hunt.

The ride features five checkpoints around downtown, each with a Ferris-related task, before closing out at a nearby bar with a raffle for those who completed each stop. Whether it's the renovation of Cameron's house or Wednesday's screening at Wrigley Field the John Hughes classic is never far from our brain, so it's cool to see it combined with another of our great loves. The hunt is Thursday, June 22, at 5:30 pm. It's set up for teams of two. Registration is open now ($25 by June 15; $30 after June 15). Day-of signup is cash-only. Proceeds fund World Bicycle Relief, the Chicago-based nonprofit that distributes bicycles in developing countries.

Organizers stress that the hunt is not about speed. So even though life moves pretty fast, you shouldn't.

There are plenty more events aside from those above, too. So make sure to check out the lineup here, and plan accordingly.