Hundreds of motorcyclists filled the Wayside Inn’s parking lot on Saturday.

Every kind of two and three wheeled bike you could think of were all in one place, and all together for one cause; raising money for children in need.

What You Need To Know

  • At the 14th annual Wack’s Ride, 300 bikers gathered to raise money to help Make-A-Wish Foundation grant children’s wishes

  • 312 bikers signed up for the event

  • In 2019, the group raised $47,000

Pat “Wack” Nolan has been gathering bikers from across Upstate New York for 14 years to raise money for the Make A Wish Foundation of Northeast New York.

Wack’s ride has been one of the largest donors for the foundation for years.

“It’s gratifying, especially when you see a mom, and a little child up there and it kind of brings tears to your eyes and you say even though all the work it is, it’s only a damn bike ride,” Nolan said. “It’s worth it, every bit of it.”

Ed Raymond has been coming to the event for seven years now and says it continues to amaze him the amount of help everyone provides.

“I’m getting a lump in my throat thinking about it,” Raymond said. “If you watched those people come up on the stage and tell their stories and what we’ve done for them. It’s wonderful. Make-A-Wish is the best, we wouldn’t miss it.”

Raymond says don’t let the group of leather vests and loud bikes trick you. These riders always have a soft spot in their hearts to help the community.

“When you see a parade of bikes goes by in any town, I don’t care where you’re from. It’s for a purpose, it’s for a cause, and we love it,” Raymond said.

The final count of bikers that signed up for the event was 312 along with another 70 riders.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation director of development, Kirsten Broschinsky, says the money raised from signups will go a long way.

“Over the next 12-18 months, we are going to be granting more wishes than we ever have before,” Broschinsky said. “So just this ride alone is going to help us grant four to five wishes. Those are four to five families whose lives will be forever changed by a wish.”

Broachinsky has helped with the ride for nearly a decade now, and says it never ceases to amaze her the kindness that these bikers show.

“Just the outpouring of love and support is so incredible,” Broschinsky said. “I mean the leather and all that may seem a little bit intimidating to some but their hearts are so pure and we just love this ride, and all the people who participate.”

The ride concluded this evening with a banquet where Wack and his group of riders provided the Make-A-Wish foundation with a check from all the money the ride raised.

Just two years the event raised $47,000, a number they hope to beat this year.