Join events to support Idaho peace officers

Next Saturday, the Idaho Peace Officer Memorial Committee invites all to their “Fallen Heroes Cruise” and party. Bring your motorcycle, car or truck to Easy Riders Roadhouse in Post Falls and join a run to Spokane and back, followed by a day of live entertainment, barbecue and prizes

The Hot Rod Cafe, next to Easy Riders on Schneidmiller Avenue in Post Falls, is hosting an outdoor breakfast from 7:30 to 9 a.m. The 81-mile, three-hour cruise leaves Post Falls at 9 a.m., traveling to Shumate Harley Davidson in Spokane Valley, south for a cruise in the country with a stop in Rockford, north on U.S. Highway 95 to Lawrence’s Motorcycles in Coeur d’Alene, then back to Post Falls.

An entry fee of $25 for each vehicle operator and $15 for each additional passenger provides a “Fallen Heroes Cruise 2004” T-shirt, a coupon for the barbecue lunch and a ticket for a chance to win a raffle prize.

Classic vehicles from the North Idaho Classic Car Club and the Emergency Vehicle Owners and Operators Association will be on display from 1 to 5 p.m. for viewing by the public. Representatives from local law enforcement agencies, School Resource Officers, Drug Abuse Resistance Education Officers, Domestic Violence support groups and others will be on hand to share their specialties with the community.

Barbecue chicken, hot dogs and hamburgers will be served to all cruise participants. The Red Hot Mamas ensure a fun time for everyone, and a band will play tunes. Raffle prizes donated so far include a gift certificate from Shumate Harley Davidson, Toro Viejo dinners, Red Lion Inn stays, an Alaska State Trooper polo shirt and a seaplane flight.

Event organizer John Parmann says proceeds from the second-annual cruise go directly to the Idaho Peace Officers Memorial Fund. Established in 1994, the fund financed a memorial in Meridian, Idaho, to all Idaho law enforcement officers who were killed in the line of duty. Future goals include building an interpretive center at the memorial site and developing a scholarship fund for children of fallen officers.

“Law enforcement officers are dedicated to provide safety and security to all citizens in our state and do so willingly,” explains Parmann. “Law enforcement is not a profession that provides attractive incomes, so when an officer is killed in the line of duty, his or her family frequently suffers a tragic emotional loss along with a long lasting economic loss.”

Parmann invites the public to share in efforts to remember those officers and the families who sacrificed their lives and futures to ensure the safety of their community.

Funds raised from the cruise, as well as all other donations (tax deductible), go directly to the Idaho Peace Officers’ Memorial. Parmann asks anyone interested in helping sponsor the event (sponsor’s name or business logo will be printed on shirts) or in providing items for prizes and raffles, to contact him at 769-1420 or 666-6735. Event volunteers also are needed.

Pre-registration is available at Easy Riders Roadhouse, Shumate Harley Davidson in Spokane Valley, Lawrence’s Motorcycles in Coeur d’Alene or on the Web site, www.idahopeaceofficersmemorial.com. Participants also may register on-site Saturday.