1,125 motorcyclists ride 75 miles for children’s charities


Photo

PROUD OF THEIR FATHER: Six of the seven of Fred Perry's children, from left, Troy Perry, Candy Estok, Mary Jane Hively, Nancy Martucci, Gail Figansksy and Pam Lewis, show off their father's 1974 Harrley-Davidson Superflide during the Fred Perry Benefit Motorcycle Run for Kids in Austintown.

AUSTINTOWN — More than a thousand people took to their bikes Sunday for a charity that’s 18 years old.

The Fred Perry Benefit Motorcycle Run for Kids took to the streets to raise money for local organizations and children.

Motorcyclists drove 75 miles to four locations, raising what Mary Jane Hively, a coordinator for the event, called a “spectacular” amount of money.

The bike run began in 1990 by Fred Perry, an area man described as passionate about motorcycles and charity. After he died the next year, his family continued the event in his honor.

This year, with 1,125 riders at $10 per person, along with the revenue from drinks and T-shirts, Hively said the event’s 18th run was far more successful than last year’s.

Unlike the sunny skies of Sunday, rainy weather limited participation in 2007 to only 150 riders.

The day also proved long, according to organizers.

Read the full story Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com