Long Island New York - The 3rd annual Ride For The Heroes was a huge success this year, with over 1,500 motorcycles in attendance. This makes the Ride For The Heroes the largest motorcycle event on Long Island, NY, and it continues to grow every year.

The day was perfect for a bike event - sunny and 70 degrees. The sign-up was held at the Brookhaven Amphitheater at Bald Hill. We arrived at 10:30a.m. and the lot was packed with bikes stretching as far as the eye could see. The local news station, NEWS 12, interviewed many bikers and the family members of some of the firemen lost on 9/11. A lone coffee truck tried to keep up with the thirsty morning crowd. A riders meeting was called at 11:15 a.m. and the pack of about 1,500 bikes roared out at 11:30, bound for Lindenhurst Firemen's Memorial Park.

The pack rode out as smooth as peanut butter considering the large turnout. The number of Bikes surprised the Police. There weren't enough uniforms to cover all the intersections. Everyone got through safely, and the pack arrived at Lindenhurst Firemen's Park 12:30p.m.

At the park some good tunes were laid down by the band Bluezin, and riders chowed down on food donated by Applebees of Lindenhurst NY. Chuck Zito, model Angela-Marie and WBAB radio personality Fingers were on hand as well as a host of other vendors. A motorcycle Stunt Show was scheduled for 2:00pm, but was cancelled after one of the riders had an accident during practice. The organizers say they hope to offer the stunt show again next year.

"I was impressed with cooperation afforded by the Mayor of Lindenhurst Lynda S. Distler, Fire Chief Henry Batz and the Suffolk County Police Department," said Frank Falco, one of the event organizers. "I know she took some heat for hosting a motorcycle event, and that can't be easy for her. She saw through all the hype and the issues of motorcycle clubs and police presence and realized that the ride concerned those who died on 9/11. I give her a lot of credit for that. I wear a patch on my back, so I am used to the usual issues and the stereotyped image the media has of bikers. For Lynda to put herself behind an event like this was admirable. Of course, there were no problems and everybody had a great time. That's the deal at 99.9% of biker events.

"I can't believe how this event has grown from a few friends getting together to scarf burgers and remember friends, into something this big. I am reminded everyday that 9/11 has touched so many people. I remember my friend Joe Angelini Jr. and his Dad Joe, who were FDNY. Both were killed on 9/11. Sometimes it's easy to get lost in personal memories. To give you an example. When I was handing out flyers someone said 'no thanks'. Right away I'm thinking 'no thanks? What does he mean no thanks. Doesn't he care about 9/11?' I was ready to get in this guy's face. Then he tells me he lost his fiancee on 9/11, and he tries to stay away from 9/11 events. They're too painful for him. All those emotions are still there, but I think events like this help people to heal."

The event was sponsored by The Lindenhurst Volunteer Fire Department, The Village of Lindenhurst, AppleBees, The Seven Horsemen Motorcycle Club, WBAB, 98.5 THE BONE, Full Throttle Magazine and The Little Cigar Factory. All vendors including Chuck Zito and Angel-Marie donated there time to this annual event.

Next years Ride For The Heroes will be held on Sunday August 29th, 2004. Check out www.ridefortheheroes.com for more information. --