‘Ride for Memories’ slated next month

Registration forms are now out for the third-annual “Ride for Memories,” which will see motorcyclists raise money for the local Alzheimer Society on Saturday, Sept. 10.
“We’ve had quite a few sign up so far. More from Fort Frances than anywhere else,” noted Margaret Schonewille, executive director of the Alzheimer Society for the Kenora/Rainy River districts.
“Of course, registrations usually double the day of the ride,” she noted.
In Fort Frances, those interested can pick up registration forms at La Place Rendez-Vous, the Super 8, Adventure Inn, and The Harbourage.
The cost to register is $15 per bike before Saturday, Aug. 27 and $20 after that date.
The “Ride for Memories” work like this: Riders register for the event, collect pledges, and then turn them in on the day of the ride, which is a “poker run.”
Riders will get one card at the start, and the remaining four at the end of the run. They’ll also get an extra card for every $50 in pledges they collect and even can purchase extra hands, if they choose, for $10 each.
Local riders will convene at The Harbourage at 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 10 and then depart for Nestor Falls, where they will meet up with motorcyclists from Dryden and Kenora.
Then, the whole group will head to Dryden via Highway 71 and Highway 17.
Once there, they will go to the Town and Country Motel for a steak supper wind-up, including a Chinese auction. At that time, they also can purchase T-shirts commemorating the event, said Schonewille.
As in past years, there will be “great prizes” for the top three riders who collect the most pledges, as well as those who have the best poker hand, she added.
These prizes include stays at Hanson’s Hideaway Lodge (Nestor Falls), Donnelly’s Minnitaki Lodge (Sioux Lookout), the new Best Western in Sioux Lookout, the Travel Lodge in Winnipeg, the Victoria Inn in Winnipeg, or a flight on Red Lake Airways.
The rider who garnered the most pledges last year was Kenora Mayor Dave Canfield with $1,705.
Schonewille said she’s hoping the “Ride for Memories” will even more successful than ever.
Last year, it raised about $19,500 for the disease that affects an estimated 364,000 Canadians over the age of 65. In 2003, it brought in $14,300.
Schonewille noted the “Ride for Memories” has become one of her favourite events over the past couple of years.
“It’s a wonderful fundraiser. A really good day,” she enthused, adding last year, motorcyclists departed from Fort Frances, Kenora, and Red Lake on Saturday morning and headed to Dryden to meet up with riders there.
A total of 76 riders on 48 bikes then returned Fort Frances for a steak supper at the Little Beaver Snow Park off McIrvine Road—which Schonewille called “a real hip place to be” that evening.
Anyone who hasn’t picked up a form at one of the above locations but still wants to register for the ride can contact Schonewille at 1-800-682-0245.