Tour of Honor Motorcycle Ride to feature the Plumas County Veterans Memorial
The Tour of Honor Motorcycle Ride (TOH) is a self-directed motorcycle event that takes place between April 1 and Oct. 31. Each year, seven memorial sites for veterans or first-responder are selected in each of the 50 states, and this year the Plumas County Veterans Memorial in Dame Shirley Plaza is being featured.
Money from registration fees goes toward three different charities: Fisher House Foundation, Gold Star Family Memorials, and Police and Fire: The Fallen Heroes.
Riders usually come individually, some in small groups. They’ll stop at the Memorial, get out their flag, take photos, and usually spend some time in the area. Riders are mostly veterans, some first responders, all patriots riding for a cause. The median age is 50-65, and you’ll be seeing both men and women. In 2022, over 1,200 riders nation-wide participated in the event, although they did not all visit every memorial or even every state. Historically, California memorials have drawn 60-80 riders throughout the season.
This will be the 13th year of TOH and many towns get involved in some way when they know about it ahead of time. Some communities place “Welcome Tour of Honor” banners near the memorials. Here are some examples: Welcome Banners for Tour of Honor Riders. Some work with their local media to provide articles or stories so the community knows these riders are honoring veterans and raising money for charities. Some local eateries provide discounts if the riders show their Tour of Honor flag when they pay their bill. It really varies, simply because the riders come through intermittently throughout the season rather in one large group.
If anyone in town, would like to do something to recognize Tour of Honor riders as they visit your memorial, they can email organizers at [email protected] so they can get the word out to the riders and give credit where credit is due.
