Hundreds stop by Dowagiac for 9/11 memorial ride

Published 8:00 am Tuesday, September 12, 2017

By Ted Yoakum

DOWAGIAC — With clear blue skies above their heads and their metal chariots beneath them, a brigade of patriotic Americans rumbled through the streets of Dowagiac Sunday afternoon, where they greeted by excited onlookers outside the local Eagles Club.

The sounds of the approaching motorcycle riders could be heard from dozens of yards away as the procession cut its way down Division Street. The mighty engines of Harley-Davidsons, Kawasaki and other types of bikes roared as the drivers pulled off the street and onto E. Railroad Street in front of the club.

Nearly 30 volunteers with the Eagles awaited the drivers, who had started their journey an hour earlier in front of the Berrien County Courthouse in St. Joseph. After serving the hungry bikers with a quick lunch, the visitors were asked to remove their hats and stand at attention for the national anthem. The men and women turned their attention to the stars and stripes of the U.S. flag, which flapped proudly in the mild breeze from its mount on top of a Dowagiac Fire Department engine’s rescue ladder.

In spite of their boisterous entrance minutes earlier, the riders stood in silence while the melody of “The Star-Spangled Banner” resonated through the air around them.

The ceremony was a fitting capstone moment for a ride dedicated in remembrance of the brave souls who perished 16 years ago in the deadliest foreign attack on U.S. soil.

The stop was part of the Berrien County Riders’ 17th annual Ride to Remember motorcycle run, organized to commemorate the 16th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, which claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people. More than 300 bikers participated in the event, with proceeds going toward the Berrien County Red Cross.

Among those participating in Sunday’s ride was BC Riders President Joe Young. Witnessing the massive crowd of riders assembled in the small streetscape “[did] my heart good,” Young said.

“We love our bikes, and we love our country even more,” Young said. “We are not going to forget 9/11 and everyone who lost their lives in those buildings that day.”

The club first organized the Ride to Remember mere weeks after the American tragedy, and has continued to do so in the years since.

The club president said he estimates that Sunday’s ride generated between $5,000 and $6,000 for the Red Cross — funds that are more critical than ever, given the recent destruction caused by Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Hurricane Irma in Florida.

“This is a memorial ride,” Young said. “Whatever we raise, we raise through remembrance and participation. We do this out of respect.”

Members of the Dowagiac Eagles Club did their part to help Sunday as well.

Mary Ellen Wilson and Dawn Pontius, members of the Eagles Ladies Auxiliary, cooked 100 pounds of sloppy Joe mix the night before, which they served to the hungry motorcyclists Sunday, along with potato chips, pickles and soft drinks. Sales from the food were donated back to the BC Riders for the fundraiser.

Wilson and other members with the club have helped with the ride for years, as a way to give back to the community and to do their part to ensure the memory of the fallen remains alive and well, she said.

“You get chills when you see them [the riders] pull up,” Wilson said. “It’s really something to see.”

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