NEILLSVILLE, WI (WSAU) — You might see them out on Wisconsin’s roadways this weekend! It’s the 34th annual Highground Veterans Memorial Park bicycle tour, and it hits highways all around the state starting Friday and running through Sunday.
Executive director Jon Weiler, says the Highground’s biggest fundraiser of the year commemorates the bike ride that Tom Miller took more than 30 years ago to start The Highground.
“In 1984 Tom Miller was trying to raise awareness of the Vietnam veteran issues, so he decided to do a bicycle tour around the State of Wisconsin, 1,244 miles, which is the number of KIAs and ‘Missing in Action’ from Wisconsin in Vietnam,” Weiler explained.
“Last year we raised just over $50,000,” Weiler said, “but the most important thing is to raise awareness of all veterans and their struggles and their sacrifices.”
Bike routes start in all four corners of the state and riders range from young teenagers to Vietnam vets in their seventies, and they all have one thing in common… arriving at The Highground on Sunday.
“They start on Friday, they stay somewhere Friday night, Saturday night, and then they roll into The Highground around Noon on Sunday afternoon,” Weiler explained.
“If people are interested in coming here to see that, we try to greet them. We stand in lines on both sides of the road, we hold flags, and we’ll greet them as they enter The Highround.”
Organizers say spectators, volunteers, and other motorists are a big part of the annual ride; helping to feed, house, and safely greet riders as they traverse the state.
If you still want to register for the event, go to https://www.thehighground.us/events/ for more information.
