June Curry (February 8, 1921 - July 16, 2012), also known as “The Cookie Lady”, lived in

Afton, Virginia Afton is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Albemarle and Nelson counties in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is newly listed as a CDP in the 2020 census with a population of 313. Geography It is located in the foothill ...

, alongside the

TransAmerica Trail U.S. Bicycle Route 76 (USBR 76) is a cross-country bicycle route east of Colorado in the United States. It is one of the two original U.S. Bicycle Routes, the other being U.S. Bicycle Route 1. USBR 76 runs from the Midwestern state of Kansas t ...

, a cross-country bicycle route mapped by

Adventure Cycling Association Adventure Cycling Association is a nonprofit member organization focused on travel by bicycle (bicycle touring). Headquartered in Missoula, Montana, Adventure Cycling develops cycling routes, publishes maps, provides guided trips, and advocates ...

in 1976. For more than 35 years, Curry offered food, lodging, water and showers to cyclists passing through her town. Curry – who was born in Afton and lived her entire life in the same house – came unexpectedly to her role as benefactor. Afton is at the top of a steep ascent, and during the inaugural Bikecentennial ride in 1976, she and her father encountered many tired cyclists in search of food and other provisions. In Curry’s words, “I decided it was easier to feed them than to put them up!” Early on, Curry provided home-baked cookies to her visitors, which earned for her her nickname, “The Cookie Lady”. Curry owned another residence close to her own house, which eventually she set aside for the use of cyclists. The building, which became known variously as “The Bike House”, “The Bike Museum” or “The Cookie House”, accumulated an impressive collection of photographs, scrapbooks and other mementos of and from cyclists who had passed through. Curry was also the subject of an episode of Charles Kuralt’s "

On the Road ''On the Road'' is a 1957 novel by American writer Jack Kerouac, based on the travels of Kerouac and his friends across the United States. It is considered a defining work of the postwar Beat and Counterculture generations, with its protagonis ...

" segment of ''

CBS Sunday Morning ''CBS News Sunday Morning'' (normally shortened to ''Sunday Morning'' on the program itself since 2009) is an American news magazine television program that has aired on CBS since January 28, 1979. Created by Robert Northshield and original host ...

''. It has been estimated that more than 14,000 cyclists visited with Curry over the years. In 2005, Curry suffered a stroke and, thanks to donations from cyclists and

cycling organization A cycling club is a society for cyclists. Clubs tend to be mostly local, and can be general or specialised. In the United Kingdom, for example, the Cyclists' Touring Club, (CTC) is a national cycling association; the Tricycle Association, Tandem ...

s who had learned of her misfortune, was able to hire a caregiver. In recognition of Curry’s years of generosity, Adventure Cycling Association in 2003 established the June Curry Trail Angel Award to honor “a generous individual or group encountered during a bicycle tour that makes the cyclotourist’s journey easier or possible by helping the cyclist through an act of goodwill.” Curry was the award’s first recipient.June Curry Trail Angel Award
Adventure Cycling Association

References

External links

Cookie House photo registry
CrazyGuyOnABike.com * Haven, Bev

- A Collection of June Curry's Bicycling Anecdotes {{DEFAULTSORT:Curry, June 1921 births 2012 deaths People from Afton, Virginia