Faith meets the open road at Marsh Valley’s third annual ‘Blessing of the Bikes’
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DOWNEY – Bikers of all faiths are invited to the third annual “Blessing of the Bikes” event in Downey.
It’s happening Sunday, April 26, at the Veterans Memorial across from the city offices at 15 South State Street. The event will begin at 12:30 p.m. A representative from the Christian Motorcyclists Association will provide a blessing for those in attendance, asking for safety and protection as they ride throughout the year.
Following the blessing, they’ll be riding from Downey to 5th Street Bagelry in Pocatello.
Event organizer Cameron Steed tells EastIdahoNews.com that the purpose of “Blessing of the Bikes” is to give religious bikers a chance to gather in prayer to kick off the riding season.
“If they’re religious, they can be blessed by a priest. There aren’t many places in our area that do it,” Steed says.
Blessing of the Bikes is a national movement that began many years ago. It’s not clear who started it, but its Wikipedia page says it began in downtown Manhattan in the early 1800s. It was originally focused on bicyclists.
Over the years, the non-denominational gathering has focused more on biker safety than on religion, though it has included prayers and the reading of Bible passages.
“Bicycles are sprinkled with holy water,” the Wikipedia page says. “A brief memorial service is held to acknowledge riders who have died in the previous year.”
The popularity of the annual gathering eventually led to local gatherings across the country at different times throughout the year. Today, it’s primarily focused on motorcycles.
Steed says he first heard about Blessing of the Bikes in Pocatello about six years ago. A now-defunct Christian Church hosted it. As a Christian and avid motorcyclist, Steed says it piqued his interest.
“I tried attending two or three times, and was only able to make it once because the weather was too cold,” says Steed. “It was the only one in the area that I knew of.”
When the church closed its doors, he decided to hold his own event in Marsh Valley, where he lives. He partnered with CMA and Bikers for Christ, a California-based Christian ministry for motorcyclists, for the inaugural event.
“Our first year, we had a Biblical blessing and a Native blessing, where we had some (Native tribal members) from Logan come down and provide a blessing as well,” Steed explains.
Steed says participation has increased every year.
“We get people from northern Utah and Boise. This year, we’ve got people coming up from Rexburg,” he says. “It’s even caught the attention of the Idaho chapter of the CMA. The CMA is pleased with the turnout over the years and would like to keep it a consistent, annual event.”
With the weather as warm as it is, Steed says he’s anticipating at least 100 bikers at the 2026 event. It’s a free, family-friendly event open to as many people as would like to attend. RSVP through the Facebook event page, or just show up.
Participants can also attend a church service before the event, though it’s not required.
In Downey, Steed says there are two churches holding worship services within a few blocks of each other. Marsh Valley Bible Church has a service at 10 a.m. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also has a service at 10:30 a.m.
“It’s completely up to them,” says Steed. “For those who want to attend their own church, we try to hold this event at a time that allows them to do that.”
Evolv Brokerage, a real estate agency in Idaho Falls, and Barfuss Beef in McCammon, are sponsoring the event. Lunch will be provided for those in attendance.