Kickstands Up: Blue Knights annual Blue Ride scheduled for July 31
Holly Tonini/For the Observer-Reporter
Participants of the Blue Ride make their way down Route 980 near Canonsburg Hospital in this photo from 2021.
Holly Tonini/For the Observer-Reporter
Christine and Howard Ramsey of Finleyville finish taking a selfie with all the motorcycles lined up behind them before the start of the 2021 Blue Ride at the North Strabane Township Fire Hall on Route 19.
On the afternoon of Sunday, July 31, more than 100 motorcycles will cruise the highways linking Washington and Greene counties as part of the 19th annual Blue Ride, a fundraiser hosted by the Blue Knights International Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club Chapter 16.
“I can’t believe it’s been that long,” said the ride’s chairman Dave Richards, a retired North Strabane Police sergeant. “It’s just developed into this huge project. We had no idea at that time that we would have as big an impact as we’ve had.”
Since its inception, the Blue Ride has raised more than $630,000, which goes back into the community through donations to a myriad of local charities, including the Washington City Mission, the Washington Christian Outreach Program, the Salvation Army and the Humane Society of Greene County.
“If it’s family, community or child-oriented, we donate,” said Richards.
Last year, Richards said, the Blue Knights donated $45,000 to 45 different area nonprofits. This year, he aims to raise upwards of $40,000 at the Blue Ride so the chapter can again give back in a big way.
“There’s always somebody out there that’s in need,” Richards said. “If we make more money, we can give more money away.”
Traditionally, motorcyclists have begun their Blue Ride at the North Strabane fire department along Route 19.
This year, folks will meet at the Washington County Fairgrounds.
“The fire department has been very good to us for years. The hospitality was always great,” said Richards. “They’re going to be building a public safety building down there, so we had to move.”
The Blue Ride committee looked for a space large enough to accommodate more than 150 motorcycles and riders, a space that connected riders to the route, which meanders through Washington County, to the Greene County fairgrounds for a midway rest, and back north.
The ride concludes at the American Legion on Park Avenue in Washington.
Folks can pre-register (find the registration form online at https://pa16-blueknights.com/), or register day-of.
Day-of registration runs from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. July 31 at the Washington County Fairgrounds, and the ride begins at 11:30 a.m. following a chaplain blessing of the bikes and the national anthem.
Richards said in 2009, more than 700 riders participated in the Blue Ride, and he’s hoping for excellent weather and a knockout turnout July 31.
The fundraising effort is a community effort, Richards said, and the more participants, the merrier.
“What is so great is the network that’s been developed with the ride, our sponsors and people that want to donate. This is a joint effort between the Blue Knights and the Masonic Lodge, Washington Lodge 164,” said Richards, adding, “We wouldn’t be able to do what we do … without the help that we get from everybody involved.”