Rides & Events

A full day of family fun with two real ways to help our community — and the Shadow Casters are proud to be part of it.

🩸 Give blood, save lives. Blood is urgently needed right now. The Central California Blood Center will be on-site accepting donations all day.

🎒 Support local kids heading back to school. Bring new backpacks, school supplies, and hygiene items to help Mariposa students start the year prepared and confident. A full donation checklist is below.

🙋 Volunteers needed. Help with setup, guest support, kids activities, donation collection, and cleanup. Even a few hours makes a real difference.

There’s plenty to enjoy while you’re there: photos with Mrs. Claus, squirt gun fights, kids activities, and food and treats all day from Mariposa Sips and Treats and Birrieria El Campeón.

Hosted at Frost Shop Marketplace alongside the Mariposa Family Resource Center, Alliance for Community Transformations, Mariposa Safe Families, and the Central California Blood Center.

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🎒 Backpack & Hygiene Donation Checklist

Every item below helps a Mariposa student start the school year ready. Short on time? The most-needed staples across every grade are backpacks, #2 pencils, wide- and college-ruled paper, spiral notebooks, and glue sticks. New, unopened items only, please.

Hygiene packs — every age

• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Bar soap or body wash, shampoo
• Deodorant
• Comb or hairbrush
• Hand sanitizer and tissues
• Wet wipes
• Bandages and lip balm
• New socks and underwear
• Feminine hygiene products (pads, tampons) — for older students

Grades 1–2

• #2 pencils, erasers, sharpener, zippered pencil bag
• Wide-lined spiral notebooks, pocket folders
• Crayons, washable markers, colored pencils
• Glue sticks, blunt-tip scissors, 12-inch ruler
• Highlighters, construction paper
• Backpack and lunchbox

Grades 3–5

• #2 pencils, blue or black ballpoint pens, erasers
• 1-inch 3-ring binder, subject dividers, pocket folders
• Wide-ruled loose-leaf paper, spiral notebooks, index cards
• Crayons, colored pencils, markers, highlighters
• Glue sticks, scissors, 12-inch ruler, protractor
• Backpack and lunchbox

Grades 6–8 · Middle School

• #2 pencils, pens, pencil pouch, erasers
• 3-ring binder, subject dividers, pocket folders
• Wide-ruled and graph paper, spiral notebooks, index cards
• Highlighters, markers, glue sticks, ruler, protractor, scissors
• Calculator (basic or graphing), a personal planner
• Backpack and locker accessories

Grades 9–12 · High School

• #2 pencils, colored pencils, red/blue/black pens
• 3-ring binder, tabbed dividers, college-ruled paper, spiral notebooks
• Highlighters, sticky notes, markers
• Scientific or graphing calculator (TI), USB flash drive
• Weekly planner, 12-inch ruler
• Backpack

Also always welcome: reusable water bottles, and gift cards to Target, Walmart, or Staples so organizers can fill whatever gaps remain.

Our annual open-door lunch. Come learn the history of the Sierra Shadow Casters, what we do as a club, and how you can ride with us.

All street-legal bikes are welcome — we have no brand restrictions. Lady riders are welcome and encouraged. Age is not important. Weather permitting, we ride after lunch.

If you have ever thought about riding with a club but were not sure where to start, this is the day to show up. No commitment, no pressure. Just lunch and a ride.

The club presented $1,000 to the Mariposa Community Foundation to assist families displaced by the Detwiler Fire.

Direct allocation, no overhead taken — the money went to the foundation for distribution to families who had lost their homes.

The club, together with G’ma & Pappa’s Biker Apparel, presented a check for $6,200 to the volunteer fire department at Station 10 in Yosemite Lakes Park.

First responders are a standing priority for this club. Out here the departments that come when you call are staffed by volunteers — neighbours, in gear, unpaid. When they need equipment, we ride.

The club’s flagship run and one of the most scenic rides in the country — a multi-stop route through the Yosemite gateway that draws riders from well beyond the mountain area. Many ride it in memory of someone.

Proceeds have gone to the Children’s Museum of the Sierra and other local charities benefiting children’s causes. Riders draw a card at each stop; the entry fees go straight back out the door to the cause.

The club’s annual run benefiting Caring Veterans of America — a Coarsegold-based veterans’ nonprofit whose own motto is “Veterans Helping Veterans,” largely funded by donations from the civilian population.

Motorcycles and cars both welcome on this one. You do not need a bike to ride with us for the vets.