Biloxi resident has 70-year-old bike restored

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (WLOX) - A crowd of bikers packed Tri Hard Sports after their Saturday morning ride. They were all there to see the antique bike that was hidden under a cloth.

For some, it might look like any other old bicycle, but to Sarah Voas she sees 70 years of memories. It all started when she was 10-years-old when her parents gave her the used 1948 Hawthorne. They got the bike as a payment for working in the cornfields in Iowa.

“They had made such a sacrifice to get that Christmas gift for me. So it’s always been a part of my life,” Voas said.

Sarah couldn’t part with the bike when she moved to Biloxi years ago, and it remained untouched in her garage for the past 15 years.

She eventually decided it was time to give the bike new life and called up Eddie Holmes, the president of the Gulf Coast Bicycle Club.

“I’ve restored a number of antique bikes,” Holmes said.

He took photos every step of the way, documenting the project through many hurdles, including Hurricane Zeta, the supply shortage stemming from COVID-19 and even when he was under the weather.

“I actually got sick and couldn’t do anything for a while,” Holmes said.

After 10 months of work and many craftsman donating their time to help out, he managed to get the job done and unveiled the bike to Voas to see.

“Well, I’m very proud of it,” he said.

It felt like Christmas Day all over again for this Biloxi resident, but don’t expect to see her riding it along the street. However, she already has plans for its future.

“This would be something that came from Le Mars and would go back to Le Mars,” Voas said.

That’s the Iowa city where the Plymouth County Museum is, the soon-to-be new home of the restored bike.

And as she prepares to send her beloved bike back to her hometown, she hopes others will have as much joy as she did.

“I’m very happy it will be enjoyed for long beyond my lifetime,” Voas said.

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