Local man gives bicycles to kids…got any old bikes or spare parts?

Some children might take riding a bike for granted. But, not Leroy Swanson. He remembers the time when he was a boy and he didn’t have a bike. “Well, we didn’t have a lot of anything,” he laughed. Then his luck changed and a man named Bobby Arron down in the hills of Russell Springs, Kentucky, gave him his first bicycle.

Swanson, who is now 86, says he can remember it like it was yesterday. “I rode that bike until I got sick,” he noted. Times were hard and with him being the oldest of 11 children, he was happy for the gift. His dad, on the other hand, didn’t like him getting sick and that was the end of that.
Swanson has no regrets over the years and says his secret to a long, healthy life is surrounding yourself with good people. He moved to the home he lives at now, 712 W. County Road 200 S, Versailles, in 2023 when he bought property that belonged to Frank and Betty Wade. “Nobody I’ve ever talked to have a bad thing to say about them,” he noted.

He says the Harrells – Marvin and Patty- who are his neighbors on US 50, are just an example of the kind of people he’s come to know.

Swanson served in the Army and said since he had so many brothers and sisters at home, officials thought he might want to rethink the decision. He didn’t because there was no work at the time and he was joining the Army to help send funds home. His mother passed away at the young age of 39, leaving his father to raise the children. He was 18 years old at the time.

He drove for Greyhound until 1990 when he pulled into the station and was told that job was over. “It wasn’t anybody’s fault, just a union thing,” he remembered. From there he drove a semi-truck until he retired.

However, just sitting around is not his idea of retirement. His idea of fixing up bicycles and giving them to children has kept him quite lively. He laughed and said his shop was full, but he’s still looking for more. He needs bikes in any condition. He can even use just part of an old bicycle – even just a wheel. “Regardless of the condition, we’ll take them,” he noted.

If you have bicycles or parts, get in touch with Swanson at 812-593-2948. He will make sure when they are refurbished, they are as good as new and will put a big smile on somebody’s face just like someone did for him so many years ago.