Bike Shop owner Mike Farrington had four cars in his Ephrata parking lot this morning before opening. Word had gotten out that Floyd Landis’ Floyd Fairness Fund had scheduled a second event with the Tour de France champion this Saturday, at the Ephrata Performing Arts Center.
Farrington, of Green Mountain Cyclery, is selling tickets to the event for his long-time friend. Farrington sold the last of 300 tickets on Friday afternoon to Landis’ first announced event, a town hall-style fundraiser at the same Ephrata playhouse on Sunday evening.
Farrington said this morning he had already sold about 40 tickets to the Saturday reception, after contacting people on a waiting list from the other event. He hopes to sell at least 150 tickets for Saturday.
Ticket sales have been brisk. The Sunday event was sold out less than 72 hours after it was announced. Farrington said mostly locals are snapping up tickets, but people are coming from as far away as Ohio, New York and Baltimore for the chance to see Floyd. This will be Landis’ first public appearance in his native Lancaster County since winning the big race last summer.
The Saturday reception will not be a sit-down affair. There will be no formal presentation. It will be a wine-and-cheese reception, with light fare, and a chance to mingle with Floyd. He will sign autographs for the second hour of the event, from 8-10 p.m. Tickets to the reception are $25 each.
All proceeds from the events will go to support Landis’ legal defense against charges he took the banned hormone testosterone during last summer’s Tour de France to boost his performance. Landis has maintained his innocence. He contends the French lab was faulty in its testing and contaminated the urine sample.
Tickets to the event are only available through Green Mountain. The phone number to the shop is 859-2422.
