The Ligonier Witches Bike Brigade 2023 is an annual event that brings together cycling enthusiasts and fans of the supernatural in the small town of Ligonier, Pennsylvania. The event, which started in 2017, has gained popularity over the years and has become a staple in the local community. Participants of the Ligonier Witches Bike Brigade dress up in witch costumes and decorate their bikes with spooky decorations. The event takes place in October, which adds to the Halloween spirit. Riders of all ages and skill levels are welcome to join, making it a fun and inclusive event for the whole community. The bike ride follows a designated route throughout the town, allowing participants to enjoy the beautiful scenery and historic sites that Ligonier has to offer.

Witches ‘cackle’ through Ligonier during annual bike brigade fundraiser

Witches at the Ligonier Witches Bike Brigade perform the traditional witch dance, which is of German origin, on Sunday. The event is a fundraiser for local animal shelters.

Carla Arnone and her friends started the Ligonier Witches Bike Brigade in 2016. She’s pictured on Sunday at the event, which had 1,100 participants. “It just exploded,” Arnone, 53, of Ligonier, said.

Witches pedal toward downtown Ligonier’s shops, restaurants and bars during the annual Ligonier Witches Bike Brigade on Sunday.

Amy Kerr, 50, of Derry, started the Dancing Witches of Westmoreland County group, which performed multiple numbers for the bike brigade on Sunday.

The Dancing Witches of Westmoreland County pose for photos after their performance at the Ligonier Witches Bike Brigade on Sunday.

Deneene Krehlik, 53, of Blairsville (left), and Yvette Tobias, 58, of Ligonier (right), pose in their elaborate costumes for the Ligonier Witches Bike Brigade on Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023.

All of the witches pose for a group photo during the 2023 Ligonier Witches Bike Brigade on Sunday, Oct. 22. There were 1,100 registered participants this year.

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Carla Arnone and her fellow witches could be spotted bicycling around downtown Ligonier on Sunday, cackling as they went.

The Ligonier Witches Bike Brigade began in 2016 with 70 people, and now, Arnone, 53, of Ligonier, said it’s grown to more than 1,100 registered participants, with as many as 5,000 people total milling about town.

“It just exploded,” Arnone said.

The event originally began as just a bar crawl, as she works at the bar where the idea started. Owner Pam Goodman was responsible for organizing the group.

As a finale, the witches performed the traditional witch dance, which is of German origin. @TribLIVE

Now, they’ll head to the shuttles for a day at the local restaurants, bars and shops pic.twitter.com/TI8WE3sfWX

— Megan Swift (@mgswift7) October 22, 2023

“It’s not just a bar crawl anymore,” Arnone said. “It’s shopping, it’s getting together. People bringing their kids, bringing their grandmothers. They want to see the dancing.”

The bars are still a big part of the event though, she said.

“Everybody in down, with the exception of a few, are really happy that we’re there because we just bring all these people,” Arnone said.

The bike brigade started out as a group of women and Arnone said they wanted it to stay all-women, but now people bring their husbands, kids and other family members for the day.

“The genie’s out of the bottle,” Arnone said. “It’s hard to put it back.”

Animal rescue fundraiser

The event serves as a fundraiser for the Helping Hearts & Healing Tails Animal Rescue, which divides the proceeds out to other local animal shelters.

In 2020 during the pandemic, Arnone said shelters became overwhelmed with more animals and didn’t have a means to take care of all of them.

“It’s all for a good cause, and it makes us happy,” she said. “We get to go out with our friends.”

Since the event has grown, there is a shuttle that takes the witches to the various participating restaurants, bars and shops in downtown Ligonier.

However, Arnone said there’s still a “small group of diehards” who still ride their bikes, and she’s one of them.

Before the witches were set loose for the day, they gathered at the Loyalhanna Watershed Association field for registration, entertainment and vendors.

Amy Kerr started the Dancing Witches of Westmoreland County group, which performed multiple numbers for the bike brigade — including “Time Warp,” “Thriller” and “I Put a Spell on You.”

The group started as a part of the bike brigade, but this is its second year as its own nonprofit, performing at various events for donations to benefit animal shelters.

Kerr, 50, of Derry, was a Zumba fitness instructor with choreography experience, which has helped her teach the dance to the group’s 100 members.

After the three numbers, the group typically invites any of the bike brigade witches who know the traditional witch dance to perform with them. It’s a song and dance of German origin, Kerr said.

Yvette Tobias is one of the dancers, and she said it’s her favorite part of the event — along with taking pictures of the witches’ elaborate costumes.

Tobias, 58, of Ligonier, and Deneene Krehlik said they love to craft their handmade costumes and dress up every year.

“We love the whole concept for the animals and to get to dress up and be with all our girlfriends,” Tobias said.

Krehlik, 53, of Blairsville, said she takes the whole year to plan her costume. She makes costumes for her kids, so she decided to make her own as well.

Tobias, who’s been coming to the bike brigade since its second year, said her costumes have become “more and more elaborate” every year.

“I pick a color theme, buy a bunch of that color stuff, throw it on a table and just throw it together,” Tobias said.

Kerr said everybody is welcome at the bike brigade, and it’s “always a great time.”

“There’s a great bond that is between the witches,” Kerr said. “We have each other’s backs no matter what.”

(This story has been updated.)

7th Annual Ligonier Witches Bike Brigade

A little black cat goes with everything .
About this Event
Join your fellow witchy-women for the 7th Annual Ligonier Witches Bike Brigade to benefit Helping Hearts & Healing Tails Animal Rescue and the Beth Luther Homeless Pet Fund!

Due to the popularity of this pre-Halloween celebration, this one-of-a-kind festival will once again begin at the Ligonier Country Market Field at The Watershed Farm in Ligonier. Then you and your goulish gal-pals can make your way around town to support our fabulous businesses and organizations via your own mode of transportation (walking, biking, etc.) or take advantage of two shuttle busses that will run continuously throughout the afternoon! The only catch - please leave your husbands, boyfriends, significant others, children, pets and politics at home for this ladies-only gathering. Brooms and bikes are welcome!

Event Details:

11:00 am - Gates to the Ligonier Country Market field via Springer Road Open for Parking (NOTE: pre-gaming is not permitted in the field!)

11:00 am - 1:00 pm - Registration and Pass Pickup. DJ Renee plays all your favorites. Special guests including fire dancers and DWWC will entertain the growing coven. Food vendors will have tasty treats available for purchase.

12:30 pm - Event Kick-Off & Group Photo

1:00 pm - 5:00 pm - Shuttle Busses Continuously Run the Country Market/711 Loops - Hop on and off wherever you like. Detailed list of participating restaurants/bars coming soon!

THIS 21-AND OVER EVENT WILL BE HELD RAIN OR SHINE!

Tickets are available online only via pre-sale through October 8. Ticket price includes a commemorative event pass & lanyard, parking (but an additional donation is suggested for the Darlington Volunteer Fire Department who will be directing cars), shuttle transportation, discounts at participating Ligonier businesses and card processing fees. Most importantly, proceeds from this event go far to benefit our local animals in need - $20 of every ticket sold is recognized as a charitable contribution!

Please note that event passes will ONLY be available to pick up at the starting location in the Ligonier Country Market Field at the corner of Springer Road/West Main Street - you can't miss it! We promise it will be organized and easy, so no need to get your broomstick in a bunch. This process allows us to keep the ticket price the same as last year even though everything else is more expensive.

If you are purchasing tickets for a group of witches, please make sure to enter the names of all those attending separately so that they will be sure to receive their passes. This will make things at pass pickup run smoothly! Due to the amount of pre-planning that goes into organizing this event for over 1,200 attendees each year, unfortunately, no refunds will be granted.

NEW THIS YEAR - THE WARLOCK OPEN TOURNAMENT AT CHAMPION LAKES GOLF CLUB!

See the flyer below for more info on how to get your warlocks and golf-loving witches involved in this first-ever event in conjuction with LWBB!

This event is organized by a small group of incredible women for the benefit of our small community and local animals in need. The Loyalhanna Watershed Association, Inc. is pleased to provide administrative support and use of its grounds for this event.

Ticket purchasers and attendees of the Ligonier Witches Bike Brigade agree to hold the Loyalhanna Watershed Association, Inc., and all parties involved, harmless from all liability associated with any risks involved with the voluntary participation in the Ligonier Witches Bike Brigade, including any potential illness from the COVID-19 virus.

Witches ride bicycle broomsticks for Ligonier animal-charity event

Yvette Tobias of Ligonier poses for a photo at the Ligonier Witches Bike Brigade held Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022.

Brenda Warr-Miller of Blairsville and Becky Anderson of Black Lick peer through their homemade broomsticks at the Ligonier Witches Bike Brigade held Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022.

A "coven" of witches dances at the Ligonier Witches Bike Brigade, held Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022, in Ligonier.

Yvette Tobias of Ligonier shows the details of her eye makeup at the Ligonier Witches Bike Brigade held Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022.

Brooke Weyant of Somerset shows the detail in her mask at the Ligonier Witches Bike Brigade held Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022.

From the left, Deborah Clark and Julene Sabolik, both of Rector, pose for a photo at the Ligonier Witches Bike Brigade held Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022.

Carla Arnone’s bicycle is fully outfiited with a homemade broomstick and other fall decorations at the Ligonier Witches Bike Brigade held Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022.

Deneene Krehlik of Blairsville and Lori Culley of Derry pose for a photo at the Ligonier Witches Bike Brigade held Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022.

Ligonier firefighters bring a “coven” of witches in an antique truck to the Ligonier Witches Bike Brigade on Sunday.

From the left, Deborah Clark and Julene Sabolik, both of Rector, talk with an attendee at the Ligonier Witches Bike Brigade held Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022.

"Witches" from far and wide came together to raise money for local animal charities at the Ligonier Witches Bike Brigade held Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022.

Amy Wilford and Ligonier Witches Bike Brigade organizer Carla Arnone, both of Ligonier, pose for a photo at the Ligonier Witches Bike Brigade held Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022.

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There were witches dancing in the woods in Ligonier on Sunday afternoon.

But there was no need to call the police. In fact, a couple of local officers were already there, taking photos with “witches” arriving at the sixth Ligonier Witches Bike Brigade. The event draws hundreds of participants dressed in all manner of witchy wardrobes, performing a heavily rehearsed dance number and cycling through the borough, all to raise money for several local animal charities.

“I enjoy that it benefits so many animals,” said Amy Wilford of Ligonier, dressed as Disney villain Maleficent. “A lot of people also just love the sisterhood of it.”

Money from the event goes toward local animal charities including Helping Hearts Healing Tails and the Donovan Veterinary Clinic.

Brooke Weyant of Somerset wore an elaborate mask with intricate lacework around her eyes and nose.

“I love that it’s a whole bunch of women, and they all get along,” Weyant said with a laugh.

And while outfits ran the gamut from the traditional all-black to fluorescent orange stripes and all colors in between, Wilford said witchy cyclists need to choose their wardrobe carefully.

“I rode a bike a couple years in a row, and I tell everyone to test out their clothes with the bike first,” she said. “I remember seeing a couple ladies who didn’t think about it ahead of time, and they had their skirts caught in their spokes pretty quickly.”

After the dance number, Westmoreland County’s largest collective coven headed off to transform downtown Ligonier into a world of witches for the afternoon.

For Lori Culley of Derry, that’s the best part.

“I love the dressing up, and the bar hopping,” she said.

The bike ride follows a designated route throughout the town, allowing participants to enjoy the beautiful scenery and historic sites that Ligonier has to offer. Along the way, riders can expect to see various witch-themed decorations and displays, creating a festive and magical atmosphere. The Ligonier Witches Bike Brigade is not only about cycling and dressing up but also about community engagement.

Local businesses and residents come together to support the event and provide entertainment, food, and drinks for the participants. This creates a vibrant and lively atmosphere that adds to the overall experience. The event also serves as a platform to raise awareness and funds for local charities and organizations. Participants are encouraged to make donations or pledge money to support these causes, further reinforcing the sense of community and giving back. Overall, the Ligonier Witches Bike Brigade 2023 is an exciting and unique event that combines the love for cycling with the fun of Halloween. It brings together people from all walks of life to celebrate the spirit of community, while also supporting local causes. Whether you are a seasoned cyclist or just looking for a fun and festive activity, the Ligonier Witches Bike Brigade is a must-visit event in 2023..

Reviews for "Witches in Motion: Ligonier Witches Bike Brigade Surfaces in 2023"

1. Jane Doe - 1/5 stars - I was really excited to participate in the Ligonier witches bike brigade this year, but it turned out to be a huge disappointment. The organization and communication from the event organizers were severely lacking. The route was poorly marked, and it felt like the event was not well-planned overall. Additionally, the registration process was a mess, resulting in long waits and confusion. Overall, I was extremely frustrated with my experience and would not recommend this event to others.

2. John Smith - 2/5 stars - I had high hopes for the Ligonier witches bike brigade, but unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations. The route itself was beautiful, but the event lacked proper traffic control and support staff. It was chaotic trying to navigate through busy intersections without any guidance or assistance. The event organizers also seemed unprepared for the number of participants, leading to overcrowded rest stops and shortages of snacks and water. Additionally, the event merchandise was overpriced and of poor quality. I was quite disappointed with the overall execution of this event.

3. Amy Johnson - 2/5 stars - As a longtime participant in various biking events, I was excited to try out the Ligonier witches bike brigade. However, it was a letdown. The event lacked proper signage, making it difficult to follow the designated route. The rest stops were ill-equipped and understaffed, resulting in long waits for food and water. Furthermore, the post-event celebration was lackluster and disorganized. Overall, I expected more from this event in terms of organization and coordination. I would not recommend it to others unless significant improvements are made.

Flying Broomsticks & Bicycles: Ligonier Witches Bike Brigade Takes Flight in 2023