New pedal pub gets ready to roll in Port Huron
The crowds whistled, clapped and hollered as a pedal pub rolled through downtown Port Huron on its maiden voyage during the Rotary International Day Parade in July.
Grant Township resident Casey Donnenworth, owner of Great Lakes Pedal & Pour, said a lot of people were pointing it out to their friends and seemed to be saying "we should hop on that.”
“It looks like it’s going to be very well received,” he said.
Donnenworth has wanted to be in the hospitality business for years and soon plans to work sales for Huron Speed Products during the week, but on weekends drive people on tours with his pedal pub.
He is working on finalizing insurance details and then plans to start booking Great Lakes Pedal & Pour rides on its website. Each ride will be two hours long, with a minimum party size of 10 people and a maximum party size of 16 people. The rides are $400, $25 per person for a full party.
People can bring liquor, beer and wine for the ride, but no glass containers are allowed. The pedal pub does have a stereo on board with Bluetooth and an aux chord so people can play their own music.
Donnenworth said tours will start at the north McMorran Place parking lot and the party will dictate the route. The city’s limits are its boundaries, so people can stay downtown and cruise bar to bar or can get a scenic route along the water.
“It’s on the party to tell the driver where to go,” he said.
If the party is people from out of town, the driver can show them the Blue Water Bridge, the Roche Bar, Raven Café and other places, he said.
Donnenworth plans to operate Great Lakes Pedal & Pour year-round, so people can put on their Carhartts and ride in February during Chilly Fest. He thinks people will have as much fun with it in January as in June.
“We’re Michiganders, we’re pretty tough,” he said.
Donnenworth doesn't plan to take the pedal pub elsewhere and as long as it's popular he’ll stay in Port Huron. He loves the Port Huron area and supporting it becoming a cooler city.
“Why not add to it and make this place cool,” he said.
Port Huron City Manager James Freed said Donnenworth has been working with the city for over a year to make sure everything is in place for the business.
He's met with police and other relevant departments and the city will gladly give him a vendors permit, he said.
“We want this downtown,” Freed said.
Port Huron Downtown Development Authority Director Cynthia Cutright said people might come from all across the state to ride the pedal pub in Port Huron who haven’t experienced its downtown before.
“I love the idea,” she said.
St. Clair County Commissioner Jorja Baldwin, owner of District 43 in downtown Port Huron, was on the Great Lakes Pedal & Pour's maiden voyage.
“I don’t think I’ve laughed that hard in a long time,” she said.
She thinks it will be a wonderful addition and another thing to do in the city. It gives people the opportunity to look around the neighborhoods, have drinks with friends and get a workout.
It will be a great way to see the city from a totally different perspective and it will be fun to bring friends from out of town to see the city that way, Baldwin said.
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Port Huron resident Tracy Jones, another maiden voyage participant, said this gives Port Huron residents something bigger cities have right in downtown.
“Oh I think it’s going to be huge for us,” she said.
It could benefit downtown restaurants and bars too, as people might be hungry when they finish their ride or want another drink more.
“We’re probably going to need more than one,” Jones said.
People can learn more about Great Lakes Pedal & Pour on its Facebook page and can email Donnenworth at greatlakespedal@gmail.com. When Donnenworth launches the website people will be able to book tours and see Great Lake Pedal & Pour's calendar at greatlakespedalpour.com.
Contact Bryce Airgood at (810) 989-6202 or bairgood@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @bairgood123.