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The scent of sunscreen was in the air as about 40 courageous University of Maine students in various states of undress prepared for a longstanding Earth Day tradition late Thursday morning — the annual naked bike ride.
“You have to lotion up or the paint will stick,” said event co-organizer Alissa Brown.
“We are going to celebrate Earth Day by showing off what Mother Nature gave us,” said co-organizer Mellissa Kierman before undressing.
The organizers said this year’s event was among the most successful they’ve seen in their time on campus.
“We got a lot of response this year,” Brown said. “We wanted as many people as we could get.”
“Yeah, we started ahead of time. It’s always been kind of like a secret thing,” Kierman said. “It’s pretty exhilarating. You’re like, ‘I’m naked. I’m butt naked and green and this is fantastic.’”
Riders ducked away from prying eyes onto the unpaved Allagash Road before the event to undress and apply the provided green paint—perhaps their only moment of bashfulness all day.
“The worst part is taking off your clothes,” Kierman said. “Then, it’s all good. It’s so much fun.”
The group of green jaybirds went for a joyride from Allagash Road to the Alfond Arena. They then did a loop around the mall, circled freshman residence halls and headed back to the center of campus for a grand finale.
The procession was female-dominated but had approximately five or six men, according to Kierman. One particularly unashamed male led the procession pedaling with open legs.
When the party reached the mall on both occasions, more than a hundred students — some sitting in front of the library, some stopping on the sidewalk — let out thunderous cheers. Reactions to the nude trek were very positive.
“I’m just really proud of them. It takes a lot of courage and it’s a great celebration,” said Katie Flynn, an elementary education student.
An innocent family of five — a mother, father and three small children — sat down at a picnic table on the mall to eat lunch just as the crowd picked up.
The kids gave puzzled looks at the bikers when they went by just a few feet from the table. The family was not there for the occasion but said they enjoyed it nonetheless.
“We did just pick the kids up from preschool,” said mother, Tamara Levitsky, a research assistant in the UMaine European Fire Ant Lab. “It doesn’t bother me, though.”
Serena Minutolo, a second-year biology student who rode with the group, said the event was a great way to celebrate her 20th birthday.
“It’s a good way to start off the day and it’s just going to keep getting better and better,” she said.
She added that police could only escort the group on campus — so they decided to not go onto College Avenue or Park Street.
Deborah Mitchell, crime prevention specialist for UMaine Public Safety, said the Earth Day ride “is a tradition of the campus.” Kierman estimated that the event has been going on for about 30 years.
“We’re here to make sure things go smoothly,” Mitchell said, adding that in other years there were complaints. This year, she received none.
A female participant who asked not to be identified said the crowds were unnerving at times.
“I could see people take pictures. That was the only scary part, but other than that it was great,” she said.
By the conclusion of the ride, the group’s Earth-friendly message seemed to have hit home with at least some of the spectators. Junior Thomas Hill described the event as a “fantastic tradition” he hopes will continue “year after year.”
“I used to hate Earth Day,” said third-year English student Eric Lovejoy, adding, “I don’t anymore.”
