Tour de Sunken Lands bike ride a success

Bikers from all over the state came to the Sunken Lands area Saturday to tour Marked Tree, Lepanto and Tyronza attractions.

It was a perfect, sunny day Saturday for a bike ride. Riders from all over Arkansas took advantage of the beautiful weather and participated in the first annual Tour de Sunken Land bike ride Saturday.

The bike ride featured three different routes -- short, medium and long -- for the riders who ranged in age from 20-somethings to 60-somethings.

All three routes, which ranged from 20 miles to 40 miles in length, began at the Southern Tenant Farmers Museum in Tyronza. From there, participants were invited to stop and visit the Delta Area Museum in Marked Tree, the Painted House in Lepanto and Whitton Farms, located in a small community outside Tyronza.

"The riders enjoyed learning about the Sunken Lands and Eastern Arkansas," said Soozi Williams, president of the Sunken Lands Chamber of Commerce and director of the Marked Tree Delta Area Museum.

Williams said riders came from Hot Springs, Little Rock, West Memphis, Jonesboro, Horseshoe Bend, Walnut Ridge, Wynne and Maumelle.

"The sights and sounds of harvest time were a high point," Williams said. "Many of the riders had never seen cotton or soy beans being harvested."

Williams said the event was a huge success in helping to promote the region, a goal that was the springboard behind the event's creation.

"People came from all over the state," she said. "And these people left armed with a lot more knowledge about what our area has to offer."

Williams said she hopes the riders will share that knowledge with others who will come to visit the area as well.

"We have a lot to offer that people just don't know about," she said. "That's why we're working to get the word out."

Williams said they hope to make the ride an annual event.