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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Harry Readshaw |
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Saturday’s Gettysburg monuments ride was … well, monumental!
HARRISBURG, Oct. 2 –The Alliance of Bikers Aimed Toward Education (A.B.A.T.E. of Pennsylvania) outdid itself with Saturday’s “Ride to Gettysburg,” its seventh annual motorcycle convoy from Harrisburg to Gettysburg to help preserve the Pennsylvania monuments and the historic Daniel Lady Farm.
Half the proceeds go the Pennsylvania Gettysburg Monuments Project founded by state Rep. Harry Readshaw, D-Allegheny, and the other half to help the Gettysburg Battlefield Preservation Association with the Lady Farm, which served as a Confederate field hospital and headquarters, later holding a portion of the huge Camp Letterman field hospital that treated thousands of wounded from both sides.
Readshaw reported that close to 500 riders took part Saturday and raised just over $15,500. That’s nearly $4,000 better than any previous ride and almost double the proceeds of last year. The lane of motorcyclists on Route 15 approaching Gettysburg was nearly three miles long.
A back problem prevented Readshaw from hopping on a bike for the trip from the Capitol to Battlefield Harley Davidson in Gettysburg, but his wife, Carol, stood in as a passenger on one of the lead bikes. Also making the trek under sunny skies and mild temperatures were Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll and state Superior Court Judge Seamus McCaffery, both long-time supporters of the Monuments Project; and state Reps. Dan Moul, R-Adams; William Kortz, D-Allegheny; and Jim Marshall, R-Beaver, pulled their motorcycles in line for the first time.
“It means a lot to have the lieutenant governor and the judge as such dependable backers and to have Representatives Kortz and Marshall, but I was especially happy to be joined by Representative Moul this year,” said Readshaw. “It’s wonderful to have such active support from a House member who represents Gettysburg and great to see his commitment as a freshman legislator to preserve the legacy of this community, its citizens and the men who fought here.”
"I was pleased to team-up with A.B.A.T.E. and Rep. Harry Readshaw in supporting the Gettysburg battlefield," said Moul. "Our town and our battlefield represent a foundation of our American liberties and it is vital that we support this and other efforts that seek to preserve and protect these sacred grounds for our future generations."
Readshaw began the Pennsylvania Gettysburg Monuments Project 10 years ago after reading about the deterioration of monuments on the battlefield. His first goal was to assure the availability of funds to meet the current maintenance and repair needs of the more than 140 Pennsylvania monuments and markers. His new goal is to fund a perpetual trust for each structure to pay for future maintenance to ensure they stand for many more generations to come.
Information about the Pennsylvania Gettysburg Monuments Project and the historic Daniel Lady Farm can be obtained by contacting Readshaw’s Harrisburg office at 717-783-0411 or by e-mail at Gettysburg@pahouse.net.
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CONTACT: Jay Purdy
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