3rd Annual Emily's Parade Draws Thousands

MORE PHOTOS IN THE GALLERIES

September 27, 2008 was a fine autumn day. The colors of the season were out in all their glory…light green, orange, brown, yellow…and black, chrome and pink.

Pink is officially a fall color one day of the year in Colorado—the day of the annual Emily’s Parade from Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, to Platte Canyon High School near Bailey, Colorado. The event, a fundraiser and remembrance event honoring the life and tragic death of 16-year-old Emily Keyes, has worked its way into a permanent spot on the biker riding calendar in Colorado.

This year, more than two thousand riders participated. One estimate put the number closer to three thousand.

While the activities of this event are not limited to bikers—there is a 5K run and other less strenuous event associated with it—make no mistake; this is a biker event in a big way.

The motorcycle community rallied in a big way for the first Emily’s Parade from Columbine High School in Littleton to Platte Canyon High School near Bailey just days after a gunman took seven girls there hostage, and eventually shot and killed young Emily on September 27, 2006. Thousands of bikes and riders, nearly 10,000 by one count, made the first run up into the hills in an emotional and determined outpouring of support for Emily’s family and community.

That ride gave birth to the I Love U Guys Foundation, and an annual 37-mile ride that still stirs emotions and draws large numbers of riders.

The I Love U Guys Foundation was created to restore and protect the joy of youth through educational programs and positive actions in collaboration with families, schools, communities, organizations and government entities.

While the event is a fundraiser for The "I Love U Guys" Foundation, there is no cost to register and join the parade. Rider participation is considered an honor by the foundation and community.

This year, Emily's Parade fell on the anniversary date of the shooting, which somehow made the event a bit more poignant.

“This is one of those things that touches your heart,” said one bearded leather-wearing rider, who declined to be identified. “It’s hard not to feel something when you see all this and remember what it’s about. Look at all these people…a lot of us probably wouldn’t be socializing together under normal circumstances, but we’re all here because we can identify with that little girl, and her family and want to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
He continued, “The other thing that’s really cool is the people who live here want us here. Did you see all those people along the road coming up here waving, hollering, holding up signs? This means a lot to them, and us being here is part of that.”

Indeed, the spectacle went both ways.

Riders were awed by the numbers of people lining the highway showing support and appreciation, with pink ribbons, t-shirt streamers and balloons. Pink was Emily’s favorite color.

The spectators were awed by the number of motorcycles rumbling into the mountains all at once.

“We’re here to show our support,” explained Cindy Quinlan of Bailey. “It’s pretty awesome to see all these bikes too, though.”

Quinlan, her friends and family were in a pullout near the top of Crow Hill where riders began the decent into the town of Bailey before heading on to the high school. They waved tirelessly in a scene repeated scores of times along the route.

Riders assembled at Columbine High School, which has a special, if unwanted, place in the history of school violence. There, time was taken to remember those lost, and, regrettably, recognize 54 more children who died in school violence over the past year. A group of balloons, one balloon for each child lost, was released to the sky…it was moving, and inspiring at the same time.

Then it was time to ride.

Blessed with great weather and cooperative traffic, the ride pulled into Platte Canyon without incident.

As the parking lot and football field filled up with bikes and bikers, everyone took part in the bar-be-que, while a local band provided a soundtrack for the afternoon.

An hour after the first bikes arrived, the tail end of the run was just arriving. Bikers owned the highway on this day, and the locals whole-heartedly approved. The streaking, sparkling, rumbling chrome fit in well with the rest of the autumn colors…light green, orange, brown, yellow…and pink.