The motorcycle group will be stopping in Sallisaw Monday for a noon ceremony and barbecue lunch, hosted by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 4518 and Ladies Auxiliary, which is located three miles north of Sallisaw on U.S. Highway 59.
Each year the motorcycle caravan conducts a ride across the country to remember the military, starting their cross-country trek in Modesto, Calif. A part of the ride, Rolling Thunder carries a ceremonial torch honoring Blue Star and Gold Star Mothers of America and Gold Star Wives of America that is lit at each stop along the way.
Blue Star Mothers are those who have children serving in the military, while Gold Star Mothers are those who lost children who were in the military. Gold Star Wives are women whose husbands died while serving in the armed forces or from service-connected disabilities.
Donna Gowen, VFW Ladies Auxiliary treasurer, said the lunch for the riders and public will include chicken leg quarters, barbecue pork, baked beans, coleslaw, and sheet cake. Gowen said donations are appreciated for the lunch, and proceeds from the event will benefit Blue and Gold Star Mothers of Oklahoma. The public is invited to attend.
"We would like them (the public) to know more about what's going on at the VFW," she said.
Gowen said the bikes should be arriving at the VFW about 11:30 a.m. Gowen and Kristin Day, event coordinator, said the Sequoyah County Sheriff's Office will meet the group in Webbers Falls and lead the caravan into Sallisaw by way of U.S. Highway 64. Gowen said the group will leave Sallisaw by about 2 p.m. Anyone interested in joining the ride through the county is welcome.
Gowen and Day encourage all businesses in Sallisaw to fly their American flag on Monday to show their support for the group. Day said last year over 400,000 motorcyclists met in Washington, D.C. for Memorial Day weekend.
Those interested in attending the event should arrive early to park. The first driveway will be for parking for the handicapped, Talihina veterans, and Gold and Blue Start Mothers. The second driveway will be for bikers and the public.
She said after lunch the group will have a special program, which will include the lighting of the ceremonial torch.
"This is a very patriotic and moving event," Gowen said.
"It's not just for veterans...it's for everybody," Day added.
Day said this is the second year the group has stopped in Sallisaw for lunch and the third year that the group has stopped in the county. The first year the group stopped in Muldrow for lunch, which Day provided.
"I encourage anyone to watch them parade through town," Day said, noting that the group should be coming through town between 11 and 11:30 a.m. Monday.
For more information about the group's stop in Sallisaw, call the VFW at (918) 775-5093, Gowen at (918) 775-6952, or Day at (918) 774-0856.
