For the third year in a row, Santa and his helpers will embark on a bike ride through three Queens neighborhoods, visiting parks and stopping for hot chocolate and sweets on the way.
The Santa Ride was organized by Jackson Heights couple Rodney and Claudia Corcino as part of their group Ciclistas Latinoamericanos de Nueva York. On Dec. 3, participants will ride through Jackson Heights, Corona and East Elmhurst starting at 9:30 a.m.
Rodney Corcino, 37, said he started Ciclistas Latinoamericanos de Nueva York to encourage the Queens Latino community to ride bicycles. The group usually participates in borough-wide bicycle rides and events like the 5 Boro Bike Tour but Corcino “decided to have some fun with the family and the kids” in the local community.
Every year, Corcino dresses up as Santa Claus and encourages participants to dress up in festive clothes and costumes such as elves or reindeer. Last year, more than 50 bicyclists as young as 3 years old showed up and Corcino is hoping the event is bigger this year since he used flyers and social media to promote it.
Corcino also said the event is a great opportunity for children to get their photos taken with Santa.
“It’s fun [to dress up] because everybody loves Santa Claus,” he said. “Not everybody has the same opportunity to go to the mall and pay $15 for a photo shoot for the kids.”
The bike ride will begin at Travers Park at 78th Street and 34th Avenue in Jackson Heights. Cyclists will use the bike lanes on 34th Avenue and 31st Avenue to travel through different parks in Jackson Heights, Corona and East Elmhurst.
The group will stop at Junction Playground at 33-59 Junction Blvd. in Jackson Heights and Gorman Playground at 30th Avenue and 85th Street in East Elmhurst. Children and families will also stop at Penetros Bakery in East Elmhurst for hot chocolate and buñuelos, a popular Colombian snack made with fried dough.
Corcino, who works at a hospital, said he also received donations from doctors to provide kids with cookies, candy canes and other snacks. The route is a little less than three miles and will take anywhere from two to three hours depending on how long they stop for children to rest.
The bike ride, which is hosted with the help of the Jackson Heights Beautification Group, Queens Bike Initiative and Make Queens Safer, will end at Travers Park.
