Motorcyclists Meet Up To Ride For Veterans
MASSENA - Motorcyclists and riders from throughout the area - some from as close as Massena and Ogdensburg and as far away as Plattsburgh, Ticonderoga and parts of Canada - hit the road Saturday to raise money for military veterans.
Fifty-eight motorcycles were parked in the Massena Elks Lodge parking lot as the group made one of their stops during the day after starting out at the Malone Elks.
"We have a great crowd. They came out of the blue. We have a lot of money raised today," said event chairperson and Loyal Knight Carol Robinson from the Malone Lodge of Elks.
The first, and what Ms. Robinson said will be annual, "Ride for Veterans" was started to raise money for veterans, she said.
"It's all about our veterans. One hundred percent of our fundraiser goes for our veterans," she said, noting that the money raised Saturday may likely go to purchase a new van used by Franklin County military veterans. The Malone American Legion will help the Elks direct the money to local veterans.
Ms. Robinson said she came up with the idea "just by chit-chatting." Her father was a veteran. "He's everything to me," she said, and the Malone Lodge of Elks is "always doing something for veterans."
She took her idea to the lodge's exalted ruler and said he was "all for it."
"He came on board with me. We'll do it annually from now on with a different route," Ms. Robinson said.
Once planning began a mere two months ago, the word started spreading and more people came on board, saying they'd be taking part in the inaugural event.
"As soon as they found out, it was no problem," she said, noting the Blue Knights also jumped on board immediately.
"It's all about volunteers. That's what they do. They never hesitated and jumped on board," Ms. Robinson said.
It was not only the first "Ride for Veterans," it was also her first time on a motorcycle.
"I've never been on a bike before. To see them on the road a mile ahead of you just blows you away," she said.
The ride began with registration from 8:30 to 9:45 a.m. at the Malone Elks Lodge. The cost was $25 for the driver and $15 for a rider, and that fee included a pig roast at the end of the ride.
The bikers, most of them sporting jackets bearing patches that denoted their affiliations, took to the highway at 10 a.m., guided by the Blue Knights Chapter 13 law enforcement motorcycle group from Laval, Que.
Riders and, in some cases their passengers, traveled from Malone to the Potsdam Elks Lodge, where they took a short break before hitting the highway again for the Ogdensburg Elks Lodge.
After enjoying some hors d'oeuvres there, the riders got back on their motorcycles and stopped in Massena for refreshments and chat before heading back to Malone, where a pig roast, live entertainment from Dave Nichols and Spare Change and other fundraisers awaited them.
They were also visited by the Veteran's Mobile Unit, which was escorted to the Elks by local Boy Scout troops.
