12th Annual Ride For The Troops

One row after another, motorcycles of all types and brands lined up and waited to hit the road for the 12^th Annual Ride For The Troops. This yearly event was originally started to raise funds and support military members who are deployed overseas. But with deployments down, the money raised now serves a wider audience.

The caravan of motorcycles traveled out of Bemidji for a 136-mile ride. For organizers, when you have up to five hundred bikes participating in the event, safety always needs to come first.

Since its inception, Marketplace Foods has been the home base for the event, putting community first and stressing the importance of supporting the men and women who serve in our armed forces.

For the bikers, the annual ride is like a family reunion. For some of the participants, this is the only time of year that they get to visit and ride with their friends.

Even for first-time riders, the importance of the ride is one of the many reasons why they decided to take part in the event.

As each bike rode out of the lot, a salute and a sign of gratitude was shown, spreading awareness and showing support for our troops and veterans, one mile at a time.

Click the link if you would like to contribute or volunteer to help with next year’s Ride For The Troops: http://www.rideforthetroops.com