Motorcycle rally will benefit hospital

A three-day motorcycle rally benefiting St. Jude Children’s Hospital will be in Texarkana during Memorial Day Weekend.

“We will have two big group rides and night events at the Elks Lodge. About 210 people are already registered,” event organizer Neil Jones said.

He expects even more bikers and said they come from all the surrounding states.

The rally has raised $85,000 for St. Jude over the past five years. Jones plans to ride to Memphis in June and present the hospital with a check himself. He said he and a group of bikers have made the trip in previous years also, and it’s a very rewarding part of the experience.

“We are giving money to cancer research and to kids, and I can’t think of two better causes,” Jones said. “I want everyone to have fun while we raise as much money as possible for St. Jude’s.”

Registration for Talimena “Crusin’ for St. Jude” will be 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday at Wyndham Garden on State Line Avenue.

“Riding the Hills” begins Friday morning with a stop for lunch. Dinner will be provided by Pizza Hut at 6 p.m. at the Elks Lodge. The band “Joe Dale and Friends” plays at 7 p.m.

On Saturday, the group will do the Queen Wilhelmina Ride and have lunch on top of the mountain. The group will ride back to Texarkana in the afternoon and have a catered dinner at the Elks Lodge.

Anyone can attend the dinner. It is not just for bikers, Jones said.

Anyone who wants to donate can make out checks or money orders to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Jones said.

For more information, contact Jones at 903-276-6884.