Ride to Remember revs up early Christmas spirit

FINDLAY — Ride to Remember — an event that benefits the Hancock County Chapter of Wreaths Across America — is celebrating a special milestone Saturday. Besides helping provide wreaths for veterans' graves in Maple Grove Cemetery come December, the group is also marking its 10th anniversary. "We have a very giving community, we really do," said Sherri Garner Brumbaugh, owner of Garner Trucking. The first local Ride to Remember was held on a cold day in October and only drew about 15 bikes, she said. Afterwards, the event was moved to the warmer weather in July. The ride has also grown in numbers. Last year, 135 riders participated. Brumbaugh said she'd like to see 150 there on Saturday. Motorcyclists and drivers on three and four wheels will depart from the family-owned and operated trucking company at 9291 County Road 313 at noon. Stops throughout the afternoon will include Route 30 Harley Davidson, 350 Tarhe Trail, Upper Sandusky; Fostoria Eagles #430, 1049 N. County Line St., Fostoria; American Legion Post 539, 539 American Legion Drive, North Baltimore; and VFW Post 9142, 212 W. 2nd St., Ottawa. The final stop will be Findlay Moose Lodge #698 at 1028 W. Main Cross St. in time for dinner around 6 p.m. The meal will be free for all riders, said Brumbaugh. Anyone who would like to join the group for dinner is welcome. The cost is $10. There will be live music from 6-9 p.m., a silent auction, 50/50 raffle and a poker hand. Silent auction winners will also be announced along with some giveaways. The cost to participate is $25 for single riders and $30 for doubles, payable in cash only at the time of registration which starts at 10 a.m. Saturday from Garners. Riders who pre-register at rtrfindlay.com will receive a free T-shirt. The day of the event, shirts will be sold for $10 each. Wreaths Across America is a 501c3 nonprofit organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery begun by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester in 1992. The organization's mission — Remember, Honor, Teach — is carried out in part each year by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies in December at Arlington, as well as at thousands of veterans' cemeteries in all 50 states and beyond. Brumbaugh said Garner Trucking became involved with the national effort in 2013, having transported a truckload of wreaths from Maine to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. The business became involved with Wreaths Across America through its membership in the Truckload Carriers Association, the trucking group that promotes the effort. "We'll do two loads a year," she said. "The trucking industry delivers almost 100% of those wreaths across the country." She explained that this would have been the 12th year Garner has delivered to Arlington cemetery, but COVID interrupted a year so this is the 11th year. The second year they transported wreaths, Brumbaugh's son, Jon, was a member of Boy Scout Troop 308 looking for an Eagle project. "He wanted to do something different and he knew that I'd been wanting to bring this back to our community. But a Scout or an organization needed to organize it," she said. "We'll bring the wreaths but someone needs to organize it. It really needs to be a nonprofit because people need to donate to a nonprofit. So he said how about this for my Eagle project." Jon took on the idea in 2016. It turned out to be a huge project, she said. Some of the components of doing an Eagle project are raising funds, coordinating volunteers and coordinating events, according to Brumbaugh. "But a larger part of that is that you want to do something that is sustained in your community, that if you leave and you come back, it's still there. And my gosh, 10 years later, here we are," she said. Over the past 11 years, Brumbaugh estimated that Garner has transported approximately 60,000 wreaths to Arlington National Cemetery and brought about 25,000 wreaths to Hancock County. "There are close to 300,000 veterans buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Just 300,000 wreaths themselves go there," she said. "And on an annual basis, there will be about 1.5 million wreaths laid on Wreaths Across America Day, and that's just a scratch on the surface." Brumbaugh said one of the things they'll do Saturday is share information about placing the wreaths in Maple Grove Cemetery in December. "We explain to the riders their contribution is going to purchase a wreath. Then we encourage them to come back in December to help lay the wreaths," she said. "So you'll see several of them come back in December, those that live locally to come out to Maple Grove and lay the wreaths that they sponsored. And some brave ones, if the weather is decent, will come on their bikes." All ride proceeds benefit Wreaths Across America Hancock County which raises funds for about 3,000 veterans' graves in Maple Grove, this year scheduled Dec. 13. The cost to sponsor a wreath is $17. "The important part of this, too, is it can be young and old. You can be as little as 2 to 92 or 99. Every age can participate in the laying of the wreaths. That's what I like about it," Brumbaugh said. It's also a good way to educate children about why the program exists, she added. "This is a veteran. This is what they did, and this is why we have our freedom in America," she said.