Skip to content

A History of Bicycling in Illinois with Christopher Sweet

Event Details

August 13th at 6:30pm – 7:30pm

Bloomington Public Library, 205 E. Olive Street, Bloomington, IL

{ "name":"A History of Bicycling in Illinois with Christopher Sweet", "description":"

The Museum, in partnership with Bloomington Public Library, will host Illinois Wesleyan University professor Chris Sweet for a program on the role of the bicycle in Illinois history based on his new book: A History of Bicycling in Illinois: 160 Years of Booms and Busts. This talk will examine the intersections of bicycling with social issues, politics, religion, sport, technology, and economics and will give particular focus to the long history of bicycling in Central Illinois. Attendees will have an opportunity to view an antique 1886 Penny-farthing style bicycle and a bicycle manufactured in Peoria in the 1890s. This free, public library will be held on Thursday, August 13 at 6:30 p.m. at Bloomington Public Library in Community Room 2.

Chris Sweet is the Scholarly Communications and Information Literacy Librarian at Illinois Wesleyan University. He has written extensively about American bicycle history and topics within the field of library science. His experiences as a former professional triathlete and competitive cyclist helped to shape his work on bicycle history. Chris is also a former employee of Bloomington Public Library. 

Copies of the book will be available for purchase the night of the program, and a book signing will immediately follow the program. For more information, please contact education@mchistory.org or 309.827.0428.

This program is presented in partnership with the McLean County Museum of History.

Questions about this program can be emailed to Sara at reference@bloomingtonlibrary.org.

", "startDate":"2026-08-13", "endDate":"2026-08-14", "startTime":"06:30", "endTime":"07:30", "location":"Bloomington Public Library, 205 E. Olive Street, Bloomington, IL", "label":"Add to Calendar", "options":[ "Google", "Apple", "iCal", "Outlook.com" ], "timeZone":"America/Chicago", "trigger":"click", "iCalFileName":"Reminder-Event" }

Share this event

The Museum, in partnership with Bloomington Public Library, will host Illinois Wesleyan University professor Chris Sweet for a program on the role of the bicycle in Illinois history based on his new book: A History of Bicycling in Illinois: 160 Years of Booms and Busts. This talk will examine the intersections of bicycling with social issues, politics, religion, sport, technology, and economics and will give particular focus to the long history of bicycling in Central Illinois. Attendees will have an opportunity to view an antique 1886 Penny-farthing style bicycle and a bicycle manufactured in Peoria in the 1890s. This free, public library will be held on Thursday, August 13 at 6:30 p.m. at Bloomington Public Library in Community Room 2.

Chris Sweet is the Scholarly Communications and Information Literacy Librarian at Illinois Wesleyan University. He has written extensively about American bicycle history and topics within the field of library science. His experiences as a former professional triathlete and competitive cyclist helped to shape his work on bicycle history. Chris is also a former employee of Bloomington Public Library. 

Copies of the book will be available for purchase the night of the program, and a book signing will immediately follow the program. For more information, please contact education@mchistory.org or 309.827.0428.

This program is presented in partnership with the McLean County Museum of History.

Questions about this program can be emailed to Sara at reference@bloomingtonlibrary.org.