Registration Deadline Nears for Freedom Ride 2021

Preregistration can be done with a credit card by calling Trails End Pub at 989-539-9644, or with cash or check at the pub. To preregister by mail, send a check to: Freedom Park Statue Project, P.O. Box 581, Harrison, MI 49625 (don’t wait, avoid any mail delay).

Any questions may be directed to Maye Tessner-Rood at 989-944-0075 (after 3 p.m.).

Donations also may be sent to: Freedom Park Statue Project, P.O. Box 483, Harrison, MI 48625

Trails End Pub (Leota)

10131 Finley Lake Ave
Harrison, MI 48625

HARRISON – A great deal of fundraising effort has been done to enable the purchase of statues for Veterans Freedom Park in Harrison, including wintertime Snowballs and summertime Freedom Rides. The success of those efforts began to show in 2017 when the World War II statue and a Soldier’s Cross were installed and dedicated in 2017.

The July 2018 Freedom Ride was done to raise money for the park’s Desert Storm statue, and it concluded with the dedication of the Korean War statue. Marching ever forward, in 2019 the Vietnam War statue was installed and dedicated. Fundraising continued with the 2020 Freedom Ride, again with monies raised going toward the park’s Desert Storm statue. Cost for that statue will be approximately $30,000.

“My goal is to pay off both [Desert Storm and Gulf War] statues,” said event organizer Maye Tessner-Rood. “We’re close to paying off Desert Storm right now with what we’ve done. We worked with a company out of New York, and they’ve been really good about it.”

The statues are an integral and important part of Veterans Freedom Park, which serves as a memorial for veterans of a four-county area: Clare, Gladwin, Isabella and Midland. The 2018 Freedom Ride route wended its way through all four counties, touching base with local service organizations along the way. In 2020, flooding strained the reserves of municipalities and residents alike, which led Freedom Ride organizers to lay out a more limited course of roughly 60 miles contained solely within Clare County.

Tessner-Rood said there is a great deal of excitement and enthusiasm bubbling up around this year’s ride.

“I just had somebody call and register four people,” she said. “We don’t normally get registrations until a couple weeks ahead, and then not very many because people wait for the weather.”

Themed “Time to Unite,” this year’s Freedom Ride 2021 is slated for July 17 (rain or shine) and will be a bit more like the original event, again covering 110 miles. Onsite registration will be from 8:30-10:30 a.m. at Trails End, 10131 Finley Lake Ave. in Leota.

Tessner-Rood also noted that if any veterans need a ride, there will be a Transit vehicle available so they, too, can enjoy the day.

The entourage will depart from Leota at 11 a.m. and, city paving project permitting, wend its way through Harrison Otherwise, the group will take Mannsiding Road; the finalized route will be available at registration. Then it’s down Old 27 through Clare; onto Saginaw Road (Old U.S. 10) through Loomis and into Sanford, where lunch will be provided by the Sanford American Legion. Then it is north on M-30 to M-61 for a break at The River House Bar and Grill in Wooden Shoe Village. From there it’s back for one more stop in Harrison.

The day’s activities will finish out with an Afterglow Party at Trails End in Leota, where everyone is welcome, not just Freedom Ride participants.

At 6 p.m. there will be a live auction with Falmouth auctioneer Hubert Zuiderveen.

Winner of the 50/50 raffle will see a potential prize of $2,000. Also, chances to win a lotto board with $100 worth of lottery tickets and a $100 in gift cards are available for $5 each.

The featured big prize of the evening will be a pair of Adirondack chairs united (in keeping with the “Time to Unite” theme) with a Desert Storm flag and topped with American flags. The chairs will be filled with 229 “Made in the USA” items representing all 50 states and valued at $2,000-plus. A set of three tickets costs $10 (chance of winning: 1-in-400).

Also, anyone so inclined can hit the dance floor at 7 p.m. and shake a leg to band music provided by Triple Action.

Tessner-Rood also spoke about how involved the community has been in supporting the park as evidenced by their contributions to the effort.

“It’s just going on and on,” she said. “People are just stopping in. I think we have convinced them this truly is their park – without them, we wouldn’t be where we’re at in this short a time.”

So, anyone interested in a day filled with breezy camaraderie, food, games, prizes, dancing and plain old all-around fun may want to register sooner than later. In addition to motorcycles, Ride registration is also encouraged for cars, trucks and Jeeps (road vehicles) as a way to show united support for all who have sacrificed for their county. Bikers will lead the ride, while those who can’t ride take the opportunity to line the roads to cheer on all riders.

The $25 registration cost includes lunch and a motorcycle kickstand holder (while supplies last). Those who preregister by June 24 will receive a T-shirt with their registration (additional $3 charge for sizes 2X and larger).