A.B.A.T.E. Westmoreland Chapter President Zeke Barr addressed the crowd at the Patriot Thunder/Back the Blue ride on Saturday, July 3, 2021. Riders left from Latrobe Elementary School and finished the day with a party at Mammoth Park in Mt. Pleasant.
Patrick Varine | Tribune-Review
Bikes are lined up and ready to go at the Patriot Thunder/Back the Blue ride on Saturday, July 3, 2021. Riders left from Latrobe Elementary School and finished the day with a party at Mammoth Park in Mt. Pleasant.
Patrick Varine | Tribune-Review
Denny Shoff of Youngwood and Funny Gribschaw of Arona pose for a photo with their 2020 Indian brand motorcycle at the Patriot Thunder/Back the Blue ride on Saturday, July 3, 2021. Riders left from Latrobe Elementary School and finished the day with a party at Mammoth Park in Mt. Pleasant.
Patrick Varine | Tribune-Review
Motorcyclist wait for start of the Patriot Thunder/Back the Blue ride on Saturday, July 3, 2021. Riders left from Latrobe Elementary School and finished the day with a party at Mammoth Park in Mt. Pleasant.
Patrick Varine | Tribune-Review
Motorcyclist arrive at the Patriot Thunder/Back the Blue ride on Saturday, July 3, 2021. Riders left from Latrobe Elementary School and finished the day with a party at Mammoth Park in Mt. Pleasant.
Patrick Varine | Tribune-Review
Roni Sue Caimano and Dave Durmis of Turtle Creek prepare their Suzuki Marauder for the Patriot Thunder/Back the Blue ride on Saturday, July 3, 2021. Riders left from Latrobe Elementary School and finished the day with a party at Mammoth Park in Mt. Pleasant.
Patrick Varine | Tribune-Review
Kathy Kling and Bruce Maybury of Monongahela pose for a photo with their Harley Davidson FXDC at the Patriot Thunder/Back the Blue ride on Saturday, July 3, 2021. Riders left from Latrobe Elementary School and finished the day with a party at Mammoth Park in Mt. Pleasant.
Patrick Varine | Tribune-Review
Kathy Kling and Bruce Maybury of Monongahela pose for a photo with their Harley Davidson FXDC at the Patriot Thunder/Back the Blue ride on Saturday, July 3, 2021. Riders left from Latrobe Elementary School and finished the day with a party at Mammoth Park in Mt. Pleasant.
Anyone who slept in late Saturday morning in Latrobe was likely awakened to the sound of a couple hundred motorcycles rumbling through town.
And that’s exactly what city resident Zeke Barr was hoping for.
“That’s the whole idea: Patriot Thunder — a whole lot of noise,” said Barr, who serves as president for the Westmoreland Chapter of the Alliance of Bikers Aimed Toward Education.
The alliance hosted the second annual Patriot Thunder/Back the Blue ride on Saturday, leading more than 250 motorcycles on a ride throughout Westmoreland County, culminating in an afternoon party at Mammoth Park in Mt. Pleasant.
Barr said the event got its start last year when he and his wife were brainstorming about something to do over the Independence Day weekend.
“We were kind of disgusted because all the Fourth of July stuff was canceled,” Barr said, “and I thought: Wouldn’t it be cool if we got a couple dozen bikes together, played some loud patriotic music and rode through some Westmoreland towns?”
After putting out some feelers on Facebook and creating an official event, about 300 motorcyclists ended up participating.
“We added the Back the Blue element when we heard about Officer Provins’ death,” Barr said.
Jefferson Hills Police Officer Dale Provins was involved in an on-duty crash in June 2020 and died 10 days later.
“We didn’t charge anything for the (2020) run, but we took a donation at the end and collected about $2,100,” Barr said.
That money was donated to Provins’ daughter, Mariah, and along with money raised this year, will help endow the Officer Dale T. Provins Jr. Memorial Scholarship at Cal U. The scholarship will be presented to a veteran seeking a career in criminal justice.
“It was a big surprise,” Mariah said. “They liked the idea so much that they want to do it every year. It truly means a lot having so many people here who care.”
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