Today, Mayor Joe Schember is announcing that, thanks to an incredible team of local people who have stepped up and are committed to benefitting Erie’s youth, a motorcycle rally will be returning to the City of Erie this summer. Save The Youth 814 will be hosting “Rides for the Rise: The Ultimate Motor Music Festival,” two months from today on Saturday, July 19, at the Rebich Investments Amphitheater at Liberty Park on the Bayfront.
Save the Youth 814 believes in building a brighter future for the youth of Erie. As a dedicated 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, its mission is to inspire and empower young people in the community by providing meaningful programs, impactful initiatives, and unwavering support to the development and safety of Erie’s youth. A portion of the proceeds from “Rides for the Rise of Youth Development,” or “Rides for the Rise” for short, will go directly to community programs that value and contribute to positive youth development, including academic support, mentoring, cultural enrichment, and structured recreational activities that prevent delinquency, increase socialization, and foster respect for authority and growth in the community. Specifically, Save the Youth 814 seeks to build resilience and give hope to city youth and families who have been exposed to violence.
The event will kick off with a motorcycle parade through the city, which will end at Liberty Park. Members of the mayor’s staff, the Erie Police Department, and the Department of Public Works are working with organizers to finalize the starting location and route of the ride. Due to
construction on the Bayfront Parkway and State Street, it is likely that the ride will originate on the West side of the city.
While this event will start small with a one-day schedule, this has the potential to grow to a multi-day event with the community’s support.
Since this is the event’s first year, and given that the City has experience with CelebrateErie and with helping the Erie Latino Leadership Association and the Mayor’s Hispanic Latine Advisory Council get the Fiesta on the Square off the ground, the City has offered assistance with planning, such as creating a system for vendors, sponsors, musicians, and riders to register; marketing and promotions in collaboration with Engel-O’Neill; and guidance with regard to logistics.
Thanks to the vision of Save the Youth 814, “Rides for the Rise” will be a celebration of all things local. Following the parade, the event will feature live performances by local artists, amazing food from local food trucks, local vendors, and a festive family-friendly atmosphere at Liberty Park.
Anyone who is interested in sponsoring the event or in signing up to be a vendor, a musician, or a rider in the parade may visit: www.sty814.com/ridesfortherise
