St. Peter’s Health bicycle rodeo offers helmets, lessons and bike raffle

Helena’s Saturday lineup gave residents three easy ways to start the day: free bike-safety lessons and a bike raffle at St. Peter’s Health, the Helena Farmers Market’s 53rd-season kickoff downtown, and a hometown appearance by Olympian Konnor Ralph at Ten Mile Creek Brewery.

The most family-focused stop was the St. Peter’s Health Bicycle Rodeo, held from 9 a.m. to noon in the back parking lot of St. Peter’s Health Medical Group - Broadway Clinic at 2550 E. Broadway Street. The event was open to little tikes through high school students, and Helena Public Schools supplied loaner bikes that Big Sky Cycling serviced. Children could bring helmets, bikes, scooters, skateboards or skates for safety checks and riding stations, while free helmets were available while supplies lasted. Riders who earned safe-rider certificates were eligible for a raffle to win a free bike. Water, snacks and food trucks were also part of the morning, with Independence Bank named as the premier sponsor.

Downtown shoppers had their own reason to head out early. The Helena Farmers Market marked its official grand opening at 9:30 a.m. at Placer and Fuller, where the Helena Chamber of Commerce planned a ribbon cutting and confetti cannons to kick off the 53rd season. Established in 1973, the market is the longest-running in Montana and stretches two full blocks through downtown Helena, drawing more than 350 Montana vendors over the course of the season. Market organizers say cash, credit, debit and SNAP/EBT were all accepted, keeping the Saturday market within reach for families buying produce, baked goods and local crafts.

For Helena residents who wanted a hometown sports stop, Ten Mile Creek Brewery hosted Konnor Ralph, the 23-year-old skier who became the first Helena native to ski for Team USA at a Winter Olympics since Sapporo 1972. Ralph learned to ski at Great Divide when he was 2, joined the U.S. Ski Team in 2022 and went on to finish fifth in men’s freeski big air and ninth in men’s freeski slopestyle at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics. His appearance added a local-pride note to a weekend already packed with family activities and downtown foot traffic.