Levy Wins Palisades Fourth of July Bicycle Decorating Contest at The Yogurt Shoppe

Jimmy Levy, 8, was the top winner in the Fourth of July bike-decorating contest, sponsored by The Yogurt Shoppe owners Kevin and Jennifer Sabin.

“We truly enjoy sponsoring Kids on Bikes as it is so incredibly rewarding,” Sabin said. “We are honored to be part of this community and part of the parade, which is such an amazing and well-organized event.”

For the past six years, The Yogurt Shoppe, at 873 Swarthmore Ave. and now also at 11726 Barrington Ct. in Brentwood, has hosted the contest, which includes a $75 yo- gurt gift card for first place, $50 for second and $25 for third.

This year there were about 75 entries, with more bikes than scooters, but Sabin noted that there were more scooters this year.

He said the toughest thing about judging was “hearing the kids’ stories about how much time, effort and creativity they put into decorating their bikes and scooters.

“We were very moved by the passion and commitment that so many of our participants demonstrated,” Sabin said, noting it made it even harder to select the top three places.

Levy, a third grader at Village School, had never entered the contest before. He was asked how he came up with decorating ideas for his bike. “My mom and I bought a bunch of decorations, and I figured it out as I went along,” said Levy, who also added that the best part was “getting to ride at the front of the parade with the other kids.” He is the son of Brian and Nancy Levy.

Second place went to Natalia Fishkin, 10, daughter of James and Erica Fishkin. London Evans, also 10, took third. She is the daughter of Derek and Lindsay Evans. Both girls attend Seven Arrows.

Although Evans has decorated her bike every Fourth of July since moving here in 2010 from Colorado, this was her first time in the contest. “My idea this year was to represent the entire United States,” London said. “I also wanted to put real sparklers on my bike, but my parents advised against that.”