Motorcycle ride to head out for Ellensburg from Northern Quest Aug. 28
By RYAN LANCASTER
Staff Reporter
Thousands of motorcycles are expected to converge on Ellensburg, Wash. on the afternoon of Aug. 28 from several starting points across the state, including one at Northern Quest Casino in Airway Heights.
The first annual Northwest Ride of Dreams is the latest statewide effort organized by local law enforcement agencies to raise funds and awareness for local Special Olympics of Washington programs.
Jennifer Suniga, development manager for Special Olympics of Washington, said the idea for the ride originated when a local volunteer attended an international conference last year and heard about a similar fundraiser in Connecticut.
All types of motorcycles can take part in the ride, which culminates with a classic car show and festival at West Ellensburg's Rotary Park. Entertainment will be provided by the Seattle classic rock band “B Rich and the Poor Boys” and the Seattle Cossacks Motorcycle Stunt and Drill Team. David Rose of the television program “Washington's Most Wanted” will emcee the event.
Interested riders should collect at least $30 in sponsorships and register before the day of the event. Local riders should gather Saturday, Aug. 28 at Northern Quest Casino, 100 N. Hayford Rd. in Airway Heights, where the procession will head out at 8 a.m. in order to converge on Ellensburg at around noon. Lieutenant Jay Hughes with the Spokane County Sheriff's office is coordinating the local starting point.
A steady stream of motorcycles from all across Washington will descend on Ellensburg at around the same time, but Suniga said traffic shouldn't be a problem. “Fortunately, this is being coordinated by law enforcement so they already have an incident management plan set up,” she said.
At this stage it's difficult to estimate how many local riders the fundraiser might attract, Suniga said. “We're finding that individual riders tend to plan their ride the week of or the week before so we've not had an overwhelming number of pre-registrations at this point but we're hoping for more,” she said.
Those who don't want to take part in the ride itself are still invited to see the motorcade off at Northern Quest or head out via an alternate mode of transport to the Ellensburg event. Donations can be made by sponsoring a specific rider or by giving directly to Special Olympics of Washington.
Suniga said the organization relies entirely on the support of private contributions of individuals, corporations, foundations and civic groups to provide year round sports training and athletic competition to children and adults with intellectual disabilities. There are approximately 1,200 athletes in the greater Spokane area alone that participate in Special Olympics programming, all of which is provided at no cost to participating athletes or their families.
Visit http://www.nwrideofdreams.org for more information.
Ryan Lancaster can be reached at [email protected].
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