This coming weekend, motorcycles, cars, trucks, and anything else with wheels will be hitting the road in Calhoun County to honor first responders who have lost their lives while serving the public. The eighth annual Hometown Heroes Memorial Ride returns to Rockwell City on Saturday, June 18. Jason Hawkins, a Rockwell City Fire Department member and ride organizer, says the ride was created in 2014 following the on-duty death of Rockwell City police officer Jamie Buenting. Your browser doesn’t support HTML5 audio Your browser doesn’t support HTML5 audio Your browser doesn’t support HTML5 audio
Registration opens at 10 a.m. at the Rockwell City Fire Station, and riders take off at 11 a.m. through Gilmore City, Goldfield, Stratford, and Otho before returning to Rockwell City. The cost is $25 per person and includes a t-shirt and raffle punch card for a chance to win prizes. According to Hawkins, money raised from the memorial ride is used to support the Hometown Heroes scholarship program and other local initiatives.
The event is not finished once the riders get back to Rockwell City. Participants will then head to the Calhoun County Expo building for dinner and a fundraising auction.
Hawkins adds supporters do not need to participate in the ride to join in dinner and the auction on Saturday evening. For more information on the Hometown Heroes Memorial Ride or to donate, visit www.hhmemorialride.com.