By MADELINE REIDA

Staff writer

Flint Hills Counterpoint beat last year’s attendance for its Musical Bike Adventure, with 58 bikers taking the trail Saturday between Marion and rural Peabody.

“One of my friends was going to it,” a biker from Kansas City said. “I saw it on Facebook and decided to sign up. We’ve been having fun with it.”

“I was told I couldn’t miss this, so I came up from New Orleans,” another hobbyist cycler, Bart Shank, said.

The ride to Marion was a bit windy, according to bikers, but the weather evened out in time for the ride back.

Some bikers and curious locals appeared without notice, prompting organizer Susan Mayo to cook homemade bread and lentil soup to feed everyone. Volunteers passed out lunches and free shirts as bikers crossed the finish line.

The event’s main feature was a concert at Flint Hills Counterpoint’s main base. Harmonica player Dustin Arbuckle and bassist Matt Woods performed country blues on a converted barn stage on one side of the property while Freight Train Rabbit Killer played American roots under a large oak tree on the other side.

A combination of the artists Kris Bruders (“Freight Train”) and Mark Smeltzer (“Rabbit Killer”), Freight Train Rabbit Killer had a masked and unmasked portion of the duo’s show and the musicians spoke with listeners between songs.

“We were tired of doing ordinary stuff,” Smeltzer said about how the band got started. “We decided to come together, put on masks, and just get creative with it.”

Other Counterpoint projects in various phases dotted the property. Attendees passed new tree groves and reserved spots for art projects between the two performing bands.

“It’s kind of frustrating, because you’ve got this nice-looking part here, but then you turn and it’s just, ‘aaah!’” Mayo said. “We’re working on it.”