 For many bikers, Sunday was a great day for a ride on a motorcycle. At the 12th annual Ride For The Troops, bikers of all ages hit the pavement to raise funds and awareness for a good cause. One row after another, motorcycles of all types and brands lined up and waited to hit the road for the 12th annual Ride For The Troops. This yearly event was originally started to raise funds to support military members who are deployed overseas. So with deployments down, the money raised now serves a wider audience. Now the deployments are down, we've expanded our horizons a little bit. The money goes towards veterans or spouses or children of wounded or deceased veterans that need some help. From high overhead, the caravan of motorcycles traveled out of Bemidji for a 136 mile ride. For organizers, when you have up to 500 bikes participating in the event, safety always needs to come first. Safety is a big thing that we always talk about and be alert, pay attention. Since it began, Marketplace Foods has always been home-based for the event, putting community first and stressing the importance of supporting the men and women who served in our armed forces. We have strong following of people in all the communities with the business to serve the troops. For the bikers, the annual ride is like a family reunion. For some of the participants, this is the only time of year that they get to visit and ride with their friends. It's kind of a reunion, everybody has a good time and it's good for the community. Even for first-time riders, the importance of the ride is one of the many reasons why they decided to take part in the event. It's a beautiful day and we wanted to support the troops. They do a lot for us so we decided to come for a ride. As each bike rode out of the lot, a salute and sign of gratitude was shown, spreading awareness and showing support for our troops and veterans, one mile at a time. If you would like to contribute or volunteer with next year's ride for the troops, we have the information on our website at lptv.org slash news. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.