COURTESY
CLAREMONT — The River Valley Ridge Riders held their 11th annual “Over the Hill Poker Run” on Monday, May 21, making a stop at Elm Wood Center in Claremont as part of the day-long event.
The ride had originally been scheduled for May 19, but was rescheduled due to rain.
The bikers take this ride every year in honor of “the people, the stories, and the spirit of the often forgotten,” organizer Ed Foster said.
Participants on 11 bikes departed in the morning from Springfield, Vermont, and took time to visit area care facilities in Claremont, Ascutney, Vermont and Ludlow, Vermont.
In Claremont, River Valley Ridge Riders member Bob Spaulding gave a ride on his trike to Joe Parenteau, 88, a resident of Elm Wood Center. Parenteau said he wants to ride again next year.
The ride gets its name, “Over the Hill,” because it a ride that elderly residents of local nursing homes have come to look forward to each year, Foster said.
Foster added that the ride could not happen without the help from staff of the residential homes and the volunteers that help run the annual event.
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