Wild Review for November 2005

Member of the Month

November’s Wild Recognition goes to the Downtown Bicycle Rental/Flattop Mountain Shuttle and owner Peter Roberts. For more than 15 years, Roberts has provided Anchorage visitors with the tools to enjoy the city’s extensive trail system. His map, with detailed directions on how to cycle all three of Anchorage’s greenbelt bike paths with very minimal road riding, is one of the features that differentiates his company from others that offer similar services.

Roberts opened the bike rental business in 1989 with a handful of bikes. Conveniently located downtown at 4th Avenue and C Street, the company now has more than 100 bikes in its fleet, including four tandems, as well as tag-alongs, trailers and kids’ bikes to more easily accommodate families, and employs five in the summer. This past summer, Roberts added the Flattop Shuttle which provides round-trip transportation to and from Flattop, allowing visitors to easily explore one of Anchorage’s finest attributes – accessible wilderness. Summer 2006 round-trip rates will be $22/person, with commissions paid to travel agents.

November 2005 Meeting Champion

Karen Smith is the Anchorage Convention & Visitors Bureau’s Meeting Champion for November. Smith was instrumental in bringing the 2006 Regional Meeting of the Alliance of Filipino Catholic Charismatic Prayer Communities (AFCCPC) to Anchorage.

The Alliance of Filipino Catholic Charismatic Prayer Communities is an umbrella and networking organization of Catholic prayer groups or communities, with Filipino membership, in the United States and Canada. Their mission is to serve, unify and build up the Filipino Catholic Charismatic prayer groups and prayer communities. Past conferences have been held in Toronto, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles.

The AFCCPC Regional Meeting will bring 500 delegates to Anchorage in September 2006 with an estimated economic impact of $419,765. Congratulations to Karen for bringing this piece of business to Anchorage!