On April 5th , 2011 Greg Hess, former Indianapolis Task Force 1 Firefighter and responder to 911, will fly to New York to begin the journey to bring two 22 foot beams from the World Trade Center home to Indianapolis.
Along with an escort of motorcyclists and firefighters from New York, the group and beams will arrive in Richmond at around noon on Saturday April, 9th, 2011, and be staged in front of the City Building on N. 5th Street. According to Bill Henry who is organizing the Richmond end of this event, their responsibility is “providing firefighters and the group a place to stage the escort.”
Approximately 6,000 to 7,000 riders
The escort of motorcyclists who will converge on Richmond will include approximately 6,000 to 7,000 riders. Bill Henry shared that this story has been in newspapers across the US, including the Wall Street Journal. He has been contacted by people from Tennessee, Georgia, Michigan and other States nearby who want to be a part of the escort to Indianapolis. According to Bill this has “grown into quite an event.”
The escort will also include the Indiana Air Search and Rescue UH-1 Huey helicopter.
Five or six areas will be designated as parking for the motorcyclists who will meet up in Richmond to escort the beams to Indianapolis. The whole downtown area, approximately four or five square blocks around the City Building will be cordoned off for this event, according to Bill Henry.
After arrival, in front of the City Building there will be a ceremony and speakers who will wish the escort well and safe travels.
If you want to attend this event Bill Henry suggests to local people, “the earlier they get there the better” due to the high demand for parking. The American Legion Post 65, the Marine Corps League, and the VFW will be serving breakfast around 7 a.m. – 8 a.m., for a reasonable 5.00 or 6.00 charge. And there will be hot dogs and hamburgers available around lunch time.
The escort will depart from Richmond at approximately 1:30 p.m., and at this time Interstate 70 will be closed for the escort to the War Memorial in downtown Indianapolis. For questions about the event in Richmond, you can call Bill Henry: 765-967-2141.
Due to the high volume of traffic and need for parking, it would be a good idea to give yourselves plenty of time prior to and following this event. Make a day of it and have fun, but expect delays in travel while the escort is here and when they leave. This will be an historical moment in our County, and a once in a lifetime opportunity.
1 comments