KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Across East Tennessee, bikers will kick off from different locations on Saturday and gather together at a veterans cemetery for a single ride to remember. It will be the fourth annual Official Smoky Mountain Ride.
The event was organized by Mission Phoenix, an initiative that seeks to address stigma related to combat-related trauma and to help veterans live with post-traumatic stress disorder after they return home.
In Blount County, bikers will gather at Dream Rides and leave for the cemetery at 11:22 a.m. In Knoxville, they will meet at the Knoxville Harley Davidson on Clinton Highway before leaving at the same time. All bikers should arrive at the locations between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. to register.
Bikers will arrive at the Knoxville Veterans Cemetery at 12 p.m. before heading out to East Governor John Sevier Highway for their final destination — a location near the East Tennessee State Veteran's Cemetery. There, they will have a cookout and flag retirement ceremony.
They will also celebrate veterans who passed away as well as active servicemembers.
The event will end at 4 p.m., according to an event page on social media. The ride fee is around $10 and funds will be allocated to the resource department of Mission Phoenix for veteran therapy resources.
