BRIDGEPORT – The rumble of thousands of motorcycles will fill the Tennessee Valley this weekend for the 31st annual Trail of Tears Commemorative Motorcycle Ride.
The ride commemorates the forced removal by the U.S. government of the Cherokee from their homeland in Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina, and Georgia in 1838 to resettle in the Oklahoma territory.
It travels from Bridgeport in the northeastern part of Alabama to the northwestern town of Waterloo.
A kick-off rally featuring children’s activities, live music, a street dance, and fireworks show is scheduled in downtown Bridgeport today.
Some 10,000 cyclists are expected to pull out of Bridgeport at 8 a.m. Saturday and travel U.S. 72 west to I-565 in Huntsville for lunch at Redstone Harley-Davidson from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Then, they will depart and head west on U.S. 72 through Athens and Florence arriving in Waterloo at approximately 2 p.m.
In Waterloo, a three-day Indian Festival is set for Friday through Sunday.
Some riders will depart Sunday and travel to Wewoka, Okla., for a ceremony Tuesday marking the culmination of the journey.
