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HERO'S TRIBUTE RIDE DEALS WITH WIND
Sunday, August 2nd, 2009 -- 12:09 am
Posted by Riley Hebert-News Director
My time in the PR van came to a close Saturday night, but what an honor it was to work with everyone associated with Tom Kingsbury's Hero's Tribute Ride for The Highground.
While Friday was perfect for biking, Saturday was anything but.
We awoke in Ashland to rain, wind and 55-degree weather. As Tom has said, rain is no problem, but wind is a killer on a bicycle.
But Tom plowed through, reaching Spooner for our first stop. What a beautiful Memorial they have in Spooner, the perfect backdrop for a ceremony, which included five Gold Star families who have lost loved ones in combat.
One woman, whose friend was honored, drove from Kansas City just for the event.
Tom arrived a bit late because of the wind, but everyone was so gracious and excited to see him.
He couldn't stop long, because he had to get down to Clear Lake for his 2nd stop of the day.
Another beautiful Memorial Park inside the local cemetery. Clear Lake was the home of Wisconsin Governor Gaylord Nelson. A nice man from town - a bit of an historian - showed me the grave and explained his friendship with the man who invented Earth Day.
The ceremony was capped with the impressive release of 50 white homing pigeons - quite a sight and very symbolic.
Our final stop was in New Richmond. By this time, the weather had turned beautiful.
Tom pulled in for a nice ceremony, and the local American Legions, VFWs and other groups made very nice donations to the Persian Gulf Veterans Tribute. State Sen. Sheila Harsdorf was on hand and delivered a nice message.
I hated to leave because the crew got to stay at one of the most unique B & Bs in the country. The Taylor Home Inn is an exact replica of Andy Griffith's house!
To learn more about The Highground and Tom's ride, visit www.thehighground.org; You can also see pics and become a "fan" on Tom's Facebook page: Tom Kingsbury
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