Rumor has it Critical Mass rides started in Chicago at the steps of the Art Institute as early as 1995, but there is no documentation, so most of us consider the first ride to be on September 5th 1997, when we started to gather around the Picasso in Daley Plaza.

To celebrate our upcoming 15th anniversary, we are rekindling the ever popular Critical Mass t-shirt giveaway. For the 10th anniversary, volunteers donated blank shirts and money for silk screening supplies, and a couple dozen people spent about a dozen hours printing over 800 shirts to give away before the ride. [pix from the 10th anniversary]

Another idea for making this September's ride extra special is having an afterparty. A park would be nice as we can all fit. Humboldt Park was suggested. It would be cool to have a few food trucks and a DJ on site when we arrive.

To keep planning and prep moving along, I will be hosting a few events leading up to September's ride:

Derailluer Assembly Party
Thu Aug 30, 6pm - 11pm
A good chance to network and start gathering funds, supplies, and volunteers.

Critical Mass T-shirt Printing Weekend
Sep 22-23, Noon - 6pm
I would like to have multiple designs to print, but that makes production a bit trickier, and we'll need even more volunteers.

Event pages and deets coming soon, let me know if you have any ideas, moneys, skills, or supplies to lend to the effort.

~steven