Neighborhoods were rocked recently by the rumble of a biker rally making its way through the streets. Instead of Harley engines, though, they would have heard the bells, whistles and kazoos of about 30 bicyclists, from children to parents and riders of all kinds, as they rode down the street.

It’s called Kidical Mass, and it’s about getting families to ride their bikes together. For Kat Franken, the rally’s leader, what began as an assignment has evolved into a fun opportunity to make a real difference to the entire community.

“If people are out riding their bikes, I’m happy,” she said.

“I’m organizing these bike-riding events to get people to see cycling as a fun and worthwhile activity.”

But as it continues to attract riders, will it last?

Kidical Mass Salem began as an obligation for Franken, 25, an AmeriCorps volunteer who works as a waste reduction educator for Marion County. She was tasked with developing a community action project as part of her year-long term of service, but rather than follow the traditional opportunities to network with major non-profits and prospective future employers, Franken instead chose to connect her project to her passion: bicycling.

“Salem needs more people biking,” said Franken, a lifelong Salem resident.

After getting feedback from her fellow cyclists that they wanted to see a family-oriented bicycle ride, Franken decided to establish a Salem chapter of Kidical Mass, an event started in Eugene with offshoots all along the West Coast from Seattle to San Diego. The name is a spin on the controversial Critical Mass rides where hundreds of cyclists converge on city streets.

These rides target families, but anyone can ride, Franken said.

“It’s a kid- and family-friendly neighborhood bicycle event,” she said.

“Anyone that hears about it, maybe it’s in their neighborhood, or they’re just interested in being on a fun and silly ride,” she said.

“Maybe somebody just wants to participate in something fun on a Sunday afternoon.”

Franken never thought it would take off the way it did when she hosted the first ride in February. She had no idea how the weather would cooperate.

“I was just going to do it no matter what.”

About 50 riders showed up. Since then, Kidical Mass Salem rides have routinely drawn anywhere from 30 to 50 riders for each event.

And now Franken spends roughly 25 hours outside of work, planning routes for each month’s ride, slapping up flyers and dropping them off at coffee shops and other area businesses. She also maintains a blog, a Web site and a Facebook page for Kidical Mass. Comments on these sites have been enthusiastic.

“What a wonderful ride in the sunshine yesterday,” one poster exclaims.

“Just wanted to say my husband and children had fun,” another poster comments; “We’ve already got next month’s [ride] on our calendar.”

Every month’s ride has a special creative theme. April's ride "The Mini Cookie Metric Decade" featured a cookie potluck buffet. Fifty riders participated.

Through Kidical Mass, Franken hopes to kindle the same kind of joy for cycling as her own, a passion that Franken rekindled herself several years ago after she bought her current bicycle for 15 dollars from the Union Gospel Mission thrift store. She wants to show Salem residents that bicycling can help build communities by bringing riders closer to their neighbors and their surroundings.

“It’s exhilarating to be out riding your bike,” she said.

“You’re breathing fresh air, you’re seeing your neighbors, you’re seeing the beautiful houses and landscapes and trees blossoming. You get to see and experience the outdoors.”

Biking also helps encourage people to take responsibility, she said. Don’t like the BP oil spill polluting the Gulf of Mexico? Concerned about global warming, or dependence on foreign oil? Ditch the car, as Franken has done.

“I find it a freeing form of transport. It’s inexpensive, I’m not contributing to a money-pit of a car, and I’m not contributing to globalized fuel [consumption].”

In this way, she hopes to bring attention to Salem’s public transit system, which she said is insufficient, especially the schedules. It forces many participants to drive to the starting point of the ride, she said.

“For a city this size, that is ridiculous,” she said.

Perhaps by getting more cyclists on the streets, more people will demand better bus service, she said.

Ultimately, she wants to revive the love of cycling among children.

However, recent findings suggest she may have her work cut out for her. A Kaiser Family Foundation nationwide survey released in January of this year found that children ages 8 to 18 spend well over seven hours a day interacting with media, from television and computers to cell phones and social networking sites.

“I think your average kid already knows riding a bike is fun,” she said.

“But you get to a certain age, it’s not cool anymore. I’m trying to make biking cool again.”

An email Franken received from a father who brought his two sons to a past ride suggests she may be on the right track.

“Bicycling is pretty much the only thing he can do to get his kids away from video games,” she said.

“I’m glad that I can facilitate something that gets kids active.”

As for the ride’s future, Franken’s AmeriCorps service ends in August, as will her project. Her future plans are uncertain. She hopes someone else will take on Kidical Mass Salem, but even if no one does, the important thing for her is that people keep biking.

“If it turns out they don’t need [Kidical Mass], then it doesn’t really need to continue,” she said.

“But maybe something else will come up, maybe somebody else might decide to organize something similar.”

After all, if her experience with Kidical Mass Salem has taught her one thing, it is this: Everyone should be empowered to make a difference.

“Why not me?” she asked. “Changing Salem comes from me.”

“It doesn’t have to be someone else.”