22nd annual 9-11 Memorial Ride to remember those lost
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The 22nd annual 9-11 Memorial Ride will again wind its way through Lycoming County on Monday, Sept. 11.
The 9-11 Memorial Ride starts and ends at the Clinton Township Fire Co. station on Route 54 near Montgomery. The gates open at 10 a.m. There will be merchandise vendors and food vendors for snacks and meals available.
A Blessing of the Bikes with the Rev. Bill Stankiewicz is at 3 p.m.
The memorial service begins at 5 p.m. with guest speaker Maj. Gen. John Gronski, U.S. Army retired. Gronski has 40 years of military service.
The ride begins promptly at 6 p.m.
The riders and non-riders are invited to the fire company grounds for the memorial service and all activities.
The route will remain the same as it has been for many of those years. Lycoming County Sheriff Mark Lusk and the Lycoming County Sheriff's Department will escort the ride with many fire and police units providing traffic control along the entire 42-mile route. The crowds on the streets and country lanes have been estimated at 20,000 people with many showing their support by waving American flags and holding signs.
"Our parade will take thousands of motorcycles through Williamsport and surrounding communities and, in effect, through small-town America," Gary Smith, 9-11 Coalition vice president, told the Sun-Gazette for an earlier article.
With the motto "Never Forget," the ride is a rolling memorial to those that lost their lives that terrible day and to the fallen in the war on terror.
"We also take the opportunity to honor the first responders and veterans in our communities," Tank Baird, president of the coalition, told the Sun-Gazette for that July article. "These brave men and women have committed their lives to keeping us safe and should be recognized for the sacrifices they have made."