Largest Organized Motorcycle Ride in History
2004 Ride
Ride Attendance was over 120,000 Motorcycles at Waterloo again this year. Amazing considering that Hurricane Ivan passed through the center of the state of Alabama and on into Chattanooga TN and North Carolina two days before the ride, creating some confusing press releases about the ride in it's path. We were able to obtain support from our riders and all the area Cities and Counties along our route to assist in making this once again one of the safest and largest organized motorcycle rides in the world.
The scholarships were increased to $25,000 for Alabama students and $25,000 for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Space Camp donated a scholarship to their program for a Native American student.
The Chattanooga Indigenous Resource Center and Library 'CIRCL' a non-profit Native American preservation group in Chattanooga; The American Indian Museum in Huntsville.
A historic marker was placed in Tishomingo, Oklahoma.
Largest Organized Motorcycle Ride in History
2005 Ride
Ride Attendance was huge, over 150,000 Motorcycles with approximately 200,000, or more in the town of Waterloo. The best method of determining the size of this ride is to take part in the ride, because it is BIG. When you are in the middle of the festivities you can see why it is "the largest organized motorcycle ride in the world."
The scholarships were increased to $30,000 for Alabama students and $30,000 for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
U.S. Space & Rocket Center Space Camp donated a scholarship to their program for a Native American student."Ride to Remember" Trail of Tears riders recall the past by providing for the future. For Chelsea Chamblee, its an experience she'll never forget. Chelsea spent the final hours of 2005 undergoing astronaut training and was chosen to be a Mission Commander. Her mother, Kasey Chamblee, was selected to be the pilot of their shuttle mission, and flew sitting next to her daughter. Together they built and launched model rockets, studied the history of the manned space flight program, and successfully carried out a simulated shuttle mission into Earth orbit. Chelsea won the 2005 Alabama-Tennessee Trail of Tears Corridor Association's Space Camp essay contest. Her prize: an all expenses paid trip for her and her mother to attend the Parent/Child Space Camp program at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
Click here For Scholarship information
(NOTE: The contact for this release is Al Whitaker, Media Relations Manager, U.S. Space & Rocket Center, Huntsville Alabama. 256-721-7160. Email: media@spacecamp.com)
donations were provided to The CIRCL, a non-profit Native American preservation group in Chattanooga; The American Indian Museum in Huntsville; and The Mowa Choctaw Cultural Center in Mt. Vernon, AL.
A historic marker was placed in Okmulgee, Oklahoma.
The first phase of the Trail of Tears River Walk Project was completed. The River Walk includes engraved brick pavement surrounding the historic marker at the end of Main Street overlooking the Tennessee River.
