The 11th annual Law Enforcement Benefit Motorcycle Ride is scheduled to depart from the Oneonta state police barracks at 11 a.m. Saturday, an organizer said.
The proceeds go to the Ricky J. Parisian Memorial Scholarship Foundation. The state police investigator from Oneonta was shot and killed in 1994 while attempting to stop an armed robbery at the former Great American on Oneonta's Southside.
His brother, Mark "Sid" Parisian, said bikers start to gather at 9 a.m.
The 70-mile ride follows a path that takes riders along River Street, to Market Street, onto Main and down state Route 7, continuing to Glimmerglass State Park, he said. After a short break there, cyclists will return to Wilber Park for a Brooks' House of B-B-Q lunch.
The ride is like a parade, Parisian said, with participants traveling as a group with a police escort. Not only is it a chance to honor the memory of his brother, he added, but it is also is a way to say "thank you" to area police agencies.
There are about 80 people signed up, which puts participation on a pace to match last year's total of 250 motorcycles.
Between the $20 donation per rider, which includes refreshments and lunch, and the separate raffle for a motorcycle, $28,600 was raised in 2007, Parisian said.
