SALISBURY — Thanks to the local Elks Club, Salisbury will host about 50 emergency services personnel bicycling from Florida to New York to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
The fourth annual Brotherhood Ride will come through Salisbury Aug. 31. Riders are raising money for families of firefighter, police officers and other public servants who died on Sept. 11, 2001.
The Brotherhood Ride team will depart from Naples, Fla. Saturday and arrive in New York City at Ground Zero on Sept. 10. Salisbury will host an official welcome at 4 p.m. Aug. 31 at the Firefighters’ Memorial next to Chestnut Hill Cemetery, 1400 S. Main St.
The service will include a welcome by Mayor Susan Kluttz, comments by Elks Lodge Exalted Ruler Kevin Frey and remarks by Salisbury Fire Chief Bob Parnell and Police Chief Rory Collins.
“We welcome these dedicated cyclists and applaud their commitment to honoring the selfless acts of heroism displayed by those who responded on Sept. 11,” Kluttz said in a press release.
“The Brotherhood Ride offers a courageous testimony to the memory of those who perished, to the strength of the American people, and to the cherished resilience of our nation’s spirit,” she said. “I encourage our citizens and all emergency service personnel to attend this service as we welcome the Brotherhood Ride to Salisbury and uplift the memory of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, so that others might be saved.”
Serving as the local contact for the Brotherhood Ride, Ray Paradowski has handled logistics for the cyclists, including use of the J.F. Hurley YMCA and lodging at the Salisbury Elks Lodge.
The Brotherhood Ride is a non-profit, public charity dedicated to honoring emergency responders who have fallen in the line of duty.
“Their goal is to provide support for the families of these heroes and to offer a reminder that their brothers will never forget them,” Paradowski said.
Residents can drop off donations to the Brotherhood Ride at Salisbury Fire Station 1, 514 E. Innes Street, or Salisbury Elks Lodge, 508 S. Main St.
The Brotherhood Ride will cover 1,600 miles in 22 days. As cyclists travel to Ground Zero in New York City, they will stop along the way, meet with local fire departments and law enforcement agencies and celebrate their spirit of brotherhood.
The team will travel to Salisbury from Rock Hill, S.C. Salisbury Police and Fire Departments will greet cyclists as they enter Salisbury at South Main Street and Jake Alexander Boulevard.
Salisbury units, including a large display with steel recovered from the World Trade Center aftermath, will join the entourage and proceed together to the Firefighters’ Memorial site. Residents who want to attend should arrive before 4 p.m.
A portion of South Main Street will be closed prior to the service.
Parking is available in the Chestnut Hill Cemetery, and a designated area will be provided for wheelchair accessibility.
The city will hold a separate 10th anniversary service at the Firefighters Memorial site on Sept. 11, 2011.
For more information, go to www.brotherhoodride.com or contact Brotherhood Ride President and founder Jeff Morse at 239-633-7098.