OAKFIELD, Maine — After a one-year hiatus due to COVID-19, the annual “Mike and Heidi Memorial Ride, in memory of Mike Kitchen and Heidi Pratt, will return Saturday, July 10.
This year’s event marks the eighth anniversary of Kitchen’s and Pratt’s death. An event was not held in 2020, due to the pandemic.
Registration opens at 8 a.m. at the Oakfield Community Center. A safety briefing and presentations will be held at 9:45 a.m. Motorcycle riders are scheduled to leave at 10:15 a.m. with police escorts. There is no registration fee. Participants can purchase a wrist band for $10 which gives them a meal following the ride.
People not riding, but wishing to walk to the couple’s house lot will do so immediately thereafter. Historically, balloons have been released in conjunction with a moment of silence. This will no longer take place, given the heightened awareness of the danger balloons can cause to wildlife.
“We want to honor Mike and Heidi in an even more meaningful way besides releasing balloons that may indeed cause harm to local wildlife,” said Ken Bustard, president of the Mike and Heidi Community Fund. “We are asking people to bring a donation for the Ark Animal Sanctuary in Houlton. This is where Mike and Heidi adopted their cat, Monkey. We believe Monkey perished in the fire that day, as he was never found. We have made past donations to the Ark in memory of Mike and Heidi. This annual event is a perfect opportunity to increase community awareness of the great work done at the Ark.”
Upon returning to the Oakfield Community Center following this year’s ride, participants can enjoy a meal of hot dogs and hamburgers, salads and deserts. An auction will be held at 1 p.m. as well as drawing of raffle tickets toward prize baskets.
The Mike and Heidi Community Fund, a public charity nonprofit, is overseen by a board of directors. Board members include Heidi Pratt’s son, Paul Suiter of Portland as well as her sister Brenda Hersey of Oakfield. Additional board members are Joe and Becky McLaughlin of Limestone, Torri Bates of Smyrna, Jerri Russell and Shannon Lloyd of Oakfield, Ken and Pearl Bustard of Bucksport and Jill Bustard of Merrill. .
Numerous individuals and businesses have supported this year’s event with monetary donations and sponsorship of raffle baskets
Anyone wishing more information or wanting to volunteer can contact Ken Bustard at 659-2018 or accountingcoach@gmail.com. Shannon Lloyd of Oakfield is also a contact person at 267-0480. The “Mike and Heidi Ride 2018” Facebook page is another way to make contact or get more information about the event.
