On the morning of May 29, hundreds of people lined up on Main Street in Madison to witness the annual Ride For America (RFA), held each Memorial Day to honor and remember those who have died in service to the country.
More than 1,000 motorcycles roared into the city from the RFA’s starting point in Loganville and turned left onto West Jefferson Street. The motorcycles were escorted by the Walton County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies.
A memorial program followed the motorcycle parade with Mayor Fred Perriman and former State Representative Dave Belton as featured speakers, along with several representatives from area American Legion posts and churches.
The event began 25 years ago with just 18 motorcycles and concluded on the Madison Courthouse steps.
“Every year we get many dozens of requests for an exact bike count,” the RFA Facebook reads. “It is never exact, but we will stand on 950ish bikes and 1300ish souls on the road. We’ve come a long way, baby!”
Crowd support has been essential to the growth of the RFA which has become one of the largest Memorial Day events in the United States. Red, white, and blue were in abundance.
“What brings riders back, year after year is the crowd support along the route. Loganville, Between, Monroe, Social Circle, Rutledge, Madison, Bostwick, and Good Hope ... and everyone along the way. Wave your flags, wave your hands, and know that you are making big, gruff bikers cry a little in their helmets as we all remember our fallen together.”