SHAMOKIN - WNEP weatherman Joe Snedecker will pedal into Shamokin on July 23 for that night's 7 p.m. live broadcast as part of his 16th annual Go Joe bike ride in support of St. Joseph's Center in Scranton.
Snedecker's visit comes on the second leg of his five-day event. He will begin in Lehighton, traveling Route 209 to Jim Thorpe before passing through Tamaqua on Route 443 and on to Orwigsburg for the noon broadcast. From there he will take Route 443 to Route 61 and pass through Schuylkill Haven, Pottsville and Frackville, turn west onto Route 54 in Shenandoah and pass through Ashland before turning up the Merriam Mountain and into Mount Carmel. His route ends with a trip on Route 61 into Shamokin.
The Lehighton-to-Shamokin trip is estimated by Google maps at nearly 80 miles and more than 8 hours by bicycle.
The city is throwing a party as part of his arrival from 2 to 8 p.m. at Independence and Eighth streets in the downtown. There will be two bounce houses for kids go jump around inside along with games like ring toss and the goldfish carnival game.
Several food vendors will be on hand selling pizza, cheese steaks, cotton candy and the other usual festival fare.
Local bands Red Halo and RATL will each perform live with music in between sets provided by J&D DJs.
WNEP will broadcast live from the downtown intersection during their shows at noon, 5, 6 and 7 p.m. Councilman R. Craig Rhoades, who provided details of the event, said station producers chose the location in order to use the public mural painted on the side of the Bressi & Martin building.
More vendors can participate in the event at no cost. For vendor information, contact Jeanne Shaffer at 850-9121.
Contact Police Chief Ed Griffiths at 648-5708 for more information on the event.
Go Joe begins July 22 in Hazleton and ends July 26 in Scranton. Snedecker's previous 15 Go Joe events have seen him travel through 16 states and more than 7,600 miles. It has raised $1.6 million for St. Joseph's Center, which helps children and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.