JACKSON TOWNSHIP Trustees will honor yearly benefit with sign

The dedication will recognize the Fred Perry Benefit Run for Kids.
By MATT BIXENSTINE
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
NORTH JACKSON -- A motorcycle run responsible for raising funds for the construction of a park sidewalk was to be honored in a dedication at 6 p.m. today in Liberty Park off Mahoning Avenue.
Jackson Township trustees will recognize the Fred Perry Benefit Run for Kids with a sign depicting a motorcycle, to be placed in the ground near the sidewalk, Trustee Chuck Booth said.
The 12th annual run raised about $5,000 for last year's $7,000 project to install 2,000 feet of handicap-accessible sidewalk connecting the park's parking lot to its playground.
The project also increased availability of handicap-accessible parking at the park.
Booth said the Kiwanis Club of Western Mahoning County, presided over by Wally Sinn, distributed the run's donation to Liberty Park.
The annual motorcycle runs have also contributed to Liberty Park in previous years, including the construction of playground equipment, Booth said.
"They donate a lot of money and it always has to do with kids and handicaps," he said.
How run started
The run originated in 1991 in appreciation of Fred Perry, a Harley Davidson mechanic from Austintown, said Gary Dezee, a friend of Perry's.
After the original run was planned, Perry was diagnosed with cancer and told he didn't have long to live.
Dezee, Perry's daughter Gail and Perry's wife, Dot, scheduled the event for June 9, 1991, so Perry could see it.
"Fred was sitting in his front yard and some 200 motorcycles went by," Dezee said of the first run.
Perry died July 15, 1991. His wife has since died.
The runs have raised $120,000 to date to be donated in Perry's honor to various charities and services aimed at children who are disabled.
The 13th annual Fred Perry Benefit Run for Kids takes place Aug. 17, starting and ending at Mike's Lounge, 5532 Mahoning Ave. in Austintown.
Sign-up starts at 10 a.m., with the 82-mile ride beginning at 1 p.m. The fee is $10.
mbixenstine@vindy.com