Jonathan Jackson
Mental images of cyclists used to conjure up images of infamous bands of outlaws riding big, loud motorcycles to and from crime thanks in no small part to the notoriety of ’70’s-era gangs such as Hell’s Angels. Nothing could be farther from the current image of a very large majority of cycling enthusiasts who frequently turn their passion for riding into compassionate action raising funds and awareness for a multitude of causes and organizations.
Locally, several biking organizations — at last count around 30 — spend their time making their community a better place. One of those groups, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, will join others to honor fallen veterans with the annual Wreath Laying Ceremony at the Georgia Veterans Memorial Cemetery next weekend.
The Four Horsemen actually consists of about 25 members who meet weekly and focus on community service. First Officer John Little said the club is open to anyone who rides.
“There are no exclusions in the club,” Little said. “After a probationary period there is a straight up or down membership vote. Our members come from all walks of life and include several veterans, retirees as well as business owners.”
Members don’t have to ride specific motorcycles and Little said the club includes “trikes” or three-wheeled cycles.
The wreath laying ceremony allows the community the opportunity to purchase and place Christmas wreaths on the graves of veterans interred in the cemetery. The Four Horsemen will participate with the Patriot Guard Riders and other groups in escorting the wreaths from the Milledgeville Mall to the cemetery. The guard will begin staging at the mall around 10 a.m. and will depart at 11 a.m. The public is welcome to come out to the mall and meet the riders.
The guard will travel down North Columbia Street to Montgomery Street to Elbert Street to Vinson Highway to the cemetery. The public is also invited to line the route with patriotic displays.
Groups such as the Patriot Guard Riders and the Four Horsemen visit nursing homes frequently and provide many services, especially when it comes to services for veterans. In cases where military funerals have been the site of protests, Little said bikers have acted as a buffer to shield grieving families from the protesters.
Locally, Little said his group partnered with Oasis Church and sponsored five families each during Thanksgiving delivering dinners to 10 families. The groups plan to repeat the partnership at Christmas.
Over the next year, Little expects a great deal of community service to be undertaken by the group.
“We’ll have three to four charity runs,” he said. “Most of our members are also members of churches and a large variety of churches are represented.”
The Four Horsemen are set to participate in the M-Day parade at Central State Hospital as well as the Gordon Christmas Parade. The group rode in the Kaolin Festival Parade in Sandersville earlier in the year.
For more information or to purchase wreaths for the annual wreath laying ceremony, visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org. Little said the groups are always on the lookout for corporate sponsors of the wreath ceremony as well.
“We’re one big family,” Little said. “We are all part of a big, diverse world of good-hearted, fundraising bikers.”
