Christmas came early for the children of some military families stationed at Vandenberg Space Force Base, thanks to The Village Dirtbags.

For the past 18 years, the group of local mountain biking enthusiasts has helped put bikes into the hands of children on base through its Christmas Bikes for Kids event.

Saturday’s event at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church outside Lompoc provided new, high-end bikes and helmets, purchased through Main Street Cycles in Santa Maria, to around 75 children.

The Village Dirtbags worked to assemble the bikes earlier this month. The bikes were then tagged and lined up, waiting to be handed out to children pre-selected through the Family Readiness Center on base.

KSBY

One of the founding members of The Village Dirtbags, Roger McConnell, says many of the group’s

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