Who knew it takes at least six months and more than $7,000 to put on the annual, unscripted, sometimes chaotic, and ever beautiful Stupid Bike Night every first Friday in September?

And that’s a bargain. Some people pay that much for a Taylor Swift or Super Bowl ticket. But you don’t even need to leave the island — or get a hotel room just in case the ferries stop running — to experience Stupid Bike Night.

The annual bike ride features dozens of riders tooling through town on outlandish forms of tricked-out, lit-up, pedal-powered means of transportation.

In 2022, after putting away the bikes, many of our Stupid Bike Club members were exhausted. There was even talk of disbanding. That’s when we learned what goes into this amazing experience.

Several of us asked, “What can we do to help?”

“Bring in money” was the answer. We started a fundraising committee, obtained bank accounts, and set goals. Stupid Bike Club also became a Washington nonprofit, which was really exciting.

The bike ride costs nothing to join, and we even give away hot dogs. With the costs of bike chains, tires, bolts, propane, steel, permits, insurance, paint, lights, hot dogs, welding gas, and countless other thins growing, we’re asking for help to keep this event sustainable for our community.

Join us on the ride to fuel impractical creativity and spark childlike joy. Help us keep Vashon weird!

Our goal is to fund the event for the next three years. If we can raise enough, we won’t need to reach out every year asking for money. We’d rather focus on building bikes and bringing joy to the community, not fundraising. When you donate to us, you are investing in the creative spirit of our community and ensuring that this night of joyous bicycle riding, as a means of expression, continues.

So please, help us raise one Dillion Dollars. It sounds like a lot, and it is, but maybe there is a Multi-Dillionaire who lives on the island and loves Stupid Bike Night — and unless we ask we’ll never know. In the unlikely event that a Multi-Dillionaire does not step forward to save the day, we figure $25,000 will buy three years.

Just like the numerous bikes on the streets, we have many ways to contribute to this kitty: join us at the August 3 Barn Burner at Dig Deep from 3 to 8 p.m., or contribute directly through: PayPal (Stupid Bike Club), Venmo (@stupidbikeclub), the Go Fund Me campaign (Donate to Keep Vashon Stupid—The One Dillion Dollar Fundraiser, organized by Stupid Bike Club), or just contact us if you would like to sponsor the event.

Fund the fun Vashon – let’s make this event happen for another decade!

Emily Burns is a member of the Stupid Bike Club fundraising subcommittee.