In August, a bunch of my friends, acquaintances and some new faces got together for the third annual Saint Paul Nut Roll, a social bike ride themed around St. Paul’s most delicious export, Pearson’s Salted Nut Roll. This year, nearly 60 people rode with us, cruising across the city, eating Salted Nut Rolls and getting to know one another.
I started the Saint Paul Nut Roll in 2022 as an excuse to organize a big outing with some of my friends. Before the pandemic, I had connected with new people through bike advocacy events, including large parties, group rides and social gatherings. However, many of these opportunities disappeared after 2020. People get older, priorities changed, and there was a lot of burnout among people in volunteer organizations during that time. I was just hoping to be the spark for some of that fun and camaraderie that I remembered.
I have no personal connection to Pearson’s Candy Company, except as a fan. Pearson’s and the Salted Nut Roll are St. Paul icons, and Salted Nut Rolls specifically have a long history as a beloved snack among bicyclists. Young or old, nearly every time I tell people about this ride, they have a story of themselves or a friend whose go-to bike treat is a peanut-laden Salted Nut Roll. The bars are portable, protein-rich, and they don’t melt in your pocket! Despite existing in the Twin Cities since 1909, Pearson’s, located right here in St. Paul, is not widely known among many locals I’ve spoken to.
I used to attend a Toastmasters club that met next door to the Pearson’s factory on West Seventh Street in St. Paul. We routinely engaged in light myth-making, telling each other slightly fabulous stories about ourselves and the places we came from. I figured it could be fun to make myself a sort of informal local spokesman, to tell the story of this St. Paul treat.
How to Assemble a Nut Roll
This year, the Nut Roll began at Newell Park in the Midway. At the beginning of each year’s ride, I give a little speech about the history of Pearson’s Candy Company (first in Minneapolis and then, more importantly, in St. Paul), its place in the community and about the traditions and practicalities of the Salted Nut Roll as a protein-packed snack.
One of my ride marshals also gives a speech about how to ride safely as a group. I hand out a bunch of Salted Nut Rolls and some Pearson’s swag. Then, we socialize and bike about 15 miles through some of our favorite places in St. Paul, including a stop near the factory on West Seventh and ending at a brewery. Each year, the route has changed a bit, with a focus on finding routes that a group of our size can safely navigate.
This started as an event organized among my friends. While it has grown since then, I have mostly relied on the same recruitment channels. I post an event on Facebook, I make a one-page card that has the important details, and I post to all my social media channels. I am a part of a few biking groups on Facebook like Saint Paul Bicycle Photo Tag, some bike-friendly channels on Discord and advocacy groups like the Saint Paul Bicycle Coalition. I find ways to tailor my invites to those channels, as well. I also spend the whole year hyping up this event through word of mouth.
A couple of my friends have acted as chief ride marshals each year, helping the large group of cyclists to safely navigate the streets as a unit. Along with my chief marshals, I can count on a few other friends to help out by blocking major intersections so our group can safely move through and sweeping from the front of the group to the back to ensure we all stay together. In preparation for the ride, I communicate a route to my marshals in advance and do a ride-through to familiarize myself with key intersections and navigational challenges.
The Saint Paul Nut Roll is the one time of the year when I see almost all of my bike friends in one place. Through the annual ride, I have met new friends and neighbors and have connected people who might not have met one another but for the humble Salted Nut Roll. I hope this goofy ride is an example for other folks who might want to start their own annual, monthly or weekly bike ride. Our community is sustained through people stepping up and organizing events and finding excuses to get together, no matter how small or large.
The fourth annual Saint Paul Nut Roll will be held on a weekend afternoon in August 2025. I hope to see you there. Get ready to get nuts!