As they have for the past 23 years, the 9/11 Freedom Ride Motorcycle Coalition will be holding its 24th annual 42-mile ride of remembrance this Thursday, September 11, to honor the victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that claimed more than 2,000 lives.

This memorial ride originally began shortly after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Just four days after that event, a small group of motorcyclists struck with grief, outrage, and a desire to act, decided to symbolically ride for freedom. They were also inspired by local Catholic priest Father John Manno, who, with his Harley Davidson motorcycle named ‘Fred,’ rode with them on that original ride.

Since that time, the original spontaneous, defiant ride has been held each year on the same day and has grown to include thousands of riders. Every year, the ride begins with a memorial service, followed by an escort of law enforcement, traffic control from local fire police, and public gatherings that draw as many as 40,000 spectators along the route through the Lycoming County townships, communities, and the city of Williamsport.

The motto “Never Forget” embodies the significance of the ride, which has grown in importance over time. A recent Gallup poll shows a record low 58 percent of Americans who are ‘proud’ of their country. This is down from 91 percent two decades ago.

This memorial ride has become one of the region’s most poignant annual remembrances, rooted in that raw, early reaction and later shaped by community commitment to remembrance and solidarity.

The ride is open to all, and no fee is required. However, given that the original ride was for motorcyclists, the ride maintains this tradition, and only motorcyclists are permitted to participate in the 9/11 Freedom Ride. Throughout the day of September 11th, vendors will be selling food and various patriotic items. This leads up to a special memorial program before the 6 p.m. launch.

A tradition to launch the ride was started by Father Manno, who used the iconic words spoken by Todd Beamer, a passenger aboard Flight 93, right before he and other passengers attempted to retake the plane from the hijackers. His last words were “Let’s roll!”

Father Manno has since passed away, but those words are still remembered, and his motorcycle, “Fred,” is carried on in appreciation of his commitment to the ride. As the riders hear those words and start up their motorcycles, traveling throughout Lycoming County, it symbolizes to the thousands watching that America is still the land of the free and the home of the brave.

The main speaker for this year’s event is State Representative Joe Hamm, who has always been a strong supporter of the ride and whose help as a state representative helped clear away the bureaucratic thicket of permits and permit requirements that the ride had to clear in order to hold the event.

“For 24 years, the men and women of the 9/11 Memorial Coalition have brought this remembrance to Lycoming County as a reminder of the murder of 2,977 innocent citizens of this nation. Never Forget. Please support our efforts by attending the Memorial Service or by standing curbside. Please fly American flags everywhere,” Thomas ‘Tank’ Baird, who helped start the 9/11 motorcycle ride, told Webb Weekly.

The ride begins and ends at the Clinton Township Volunteer Fire Company, located at 2311 PA-54, Montgomery, PA 17752. Telephone: (570) 547-1000. For more information about the ride and the 9/11 Memorial Motorcycle Ride Map, go to https://www.911memorialcoalition.org.