Emily's Pink Parade Reeps On Rollin'

MORE PHOTOS IN THE GALLERIES

By Tim Anderson

After six years, Emily’s Parade has become much more than a big motorcycle ride into Colorado’s Front Range Mountains.

Make no mistake, this ride born out of senseless tragedy in September of 2006 is still a big motorcycle ride into the mountains, but it is now firmly entrenched as a regional cross cultural event, and because of it, pink is one of Colorado’s autumn colors.

Just to reinforce that idea, upwards of 2000 people turned out on September 25, 2011, to be a part of the 6th Annual Emily’s Parade. Hundreds more riders joined the parade of sparkling steel as it powered up US Highway 285 from Columbine High School in Littleton en route to Platte Canyon High School in Bailey. And just to make sure the event had the proper support, uncounted numbers (it was a lot!) of people lined the highway all the way up the hill, waving, cheering and flying flags from the roadside, overpasses, driveways and nearby hilltops.

“It was truly a tremendous day,” said John Michael Keyes, who heads the foundation that organizes the event as a fundraiser to support the i luv u guys Foundation, which educates and combats school violence across the country. “We left columbine with 2071 bikes officially, and I’m sure picked up several hundred more along the way. We had around 4500 people participating between the bikes and the run/walk events and the volunteers. There were no problems at all, and everyone seemed real focused on the day. It was fabulous. I’m very pleased with the vibe the whole day had.”

If Keyes is pleased with the day, that’s doubly good. In addition to running the foundation, his is the father of Emily Keyes, the Platte Canyon student who was shot to death by a gunman in the school September 27, 2006. After the events of that day, and the outpouring of support from the biker community in particular, he and his wife, Ellen, dedicated themselves to ending school violence. They’ve been tremendously successful with their efforts, but say none of it would be possible without the support the get from Colorado motorcyclists.

“Emily’s Parade continues to be the foundation’s largest fundraiser,” Keyes explained. “Last year (2010) the ride accounted for about one-half of all the funds we raised. I really can’t overstate the role the people who participate in Emily’s Parade play in the continuing success.”

As for the 2011 event, Keyes said it would be a few weeks before any final fund-raising totals are finalized, but he estimated that between $55,000 and $65,000 were raised.

“That’s just a guess at this point,” Keyes said. “And, of course, we still have some expenses to pay out of that amount. But it looks like it was a good event in that respect.”
Keyes wasn’t the only one pleased with the day.

Jim Arnett, who with his partner from the Colorado Motorcycle Show & Swap, Jack Portice, has supported the parade from day one, admitted to being a little surprised.

“They just keep rolling in,” he said, standing in the parking lot at Columbine High School. “There are definitely more people here than last year. I’m kinda surprised. After six years I figured the number of people would start to drop off, but it just keeps getting bigger every year.”

Keyes Credits the pair with contributing significantly to the growth and staying power of the event.

“They’ve really been a big help,” Keyes said of Arnett and Portice. “We’ve learned a lot from them, and the volunteer network they bring with them is incredible. I’m not sure we could do this (the ride) without them. The guidance they provide is invaluable.”

“We got involved pretty early on,” Arnett explained. “This thing was big right from the start, and we figured we might be able to help out a little so the ride is safe and fun for everyone. We don’t do much, just a few suggestions here and there.”

Hose “suggestions” loom large, according to Keyes.

“It’s because of their help and insight we’ve been able to make and keep this something of a pure event,” he said. “I’m proud of our stewardship of the spirit of the event. We’ve resisted all the commercialization that’s come our way because the event is special the way it is, and, we don’t want to let down the people who come out year after year. That approach has allowed this to truly be Emily’s Parade.”

And it was.

Pink was Emily’s favorite color, so this year there were pink shirts, pink bandannas, pink balloons, and of course, endless pink ribbons tied to mileposts, trees and motorcycles. As a few thousand bikes were rumbling uphill into the mountains, all types of people lining the sides of US 285 greeted them. Families, retirees, cowboys…their presence just reinforced the idea Emily’s Parade has truly become a cross-cultural event, reaching beyond both the mountain community and the biker community. Onlookers cheered, waved signs, balloons and banners. The outpouring and support from the community is still strong and growing. And, of course, there was all that pink.

The ride is named a parade because young Emily loved parades…and the ride is more of a parade than a helter-skelter run into the hills. And every year as the aspen turn and light up the high country, for one day, pink becomes one of the colors of fall along a small section of US 285.

“People really seem to focus on the spirit of the day,” Keyes observed. “There were no problems. Everyone was one the same page, from law enforcement to the 1%ers and everyone in between; we were all together on this. It’s great.”

Another positive, according to Keyes, was that the event corrected the food and drink shortage experienced last year. There was plenty to go around when the ride rumbled into Platte Canyon High School in Bailey.

“We learn a little more every year,” Keyes explained. “Last year we fell short, and we made sure that didn’t happen this year.”

Riders hung around Platte canyon visiting, enjoying the great show put on by Steve Crenshaw & Friends pumped out by a festival sound system donated by Sounds Good 2 Me, or just absorbing the great atmosphere and the great weather. It was a perfect autumn day in the high country.

Sometime after 2pm, bikes began roaring to life and riders rolled out onto the road…some heading back into Denver, while others made the decision to take full advantage of the day by heading further into the high country.

And so, a parade created by tragic events at two schools that share an unfortunate, powerful, connection born of the fatal student shooting tragedies their students endured, worked its healing magic for another day, maybe longer.

And those pink ribbons are still fluttering in the wind.