Annual bike ride raises funds for area volunteer fire departments
On Oct. 16, dozens of people gathered in the Breckenridge City Park for the fifth annual Sloan Everett Pure Country Pedal Memorial Bike Ride, and last week, the organizers of the fundraising event donated thousands of dollars to the three local volunteer fire departments.
The bike ride brought together 77 bicycle riders, as well as many others who joined the crowd for a barbecue lunch and concert in the park. The annual event honors the memory of Sloan Everett, a Breckenridge rancher who died in a 2017 wildfire in the Texas Panhandle.
In 2019, the Breckenridge Chamber of Commerce and the Everett family added the fundraising element to the event, benefiting Stephens County volunteer fire departments. The Everett family wanted to recognize the role volunteer firefighters play in rural Texas, especially because. when fire overtook Sloan and two friends as they were trying to save the cattle on the Franklin Ranch northeast of Amarillo, volunteer firefighters responded to the fire.
This year’s event raised $23,241.17, which is about 30 percent more than was raised last year, and the organizers provided each department — Wayland VFD, Caddo VFD and Hubbard Creek VFD — with $7,750. The funds for the donations and the costs of the bike ride were raised through more than 60 sponsorships, as well as bike ride fees, lunch purchases and t-shirt sales.
“We’re so thrilled at the donations that were given this year,” Jim Everett, Sloan’s father, said at the check presentation ceremony. “We’re thrilled in the riders who came, and we’re thrilled that we are learning more every year about how to do this better. And I mean, we are really learning and that’s the key. We want the bikers to pack in here. We want it to benefit Breckenridge.”
Each year, the cycling routes are changed up some, and last year, for the first time, the bike riders rode through town, down Walker Street. Everett said that taking the riders through town is an important element to the fundraiser because it lets the community see what’s going on and encourages them to be a part of event.
The fundraiser also included a a catered barbecue lunch donated by United Supermarket and a concert by the Urban Pioneers. Additionally, the Breckenridge Police Department, the Breckenridge Fire Department and the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office provided assistance throughout the bike ride.
Hubbard Creek Volunteer Fire Department Chief Tom Claybrook, Captain Tony Smith and Carl Huffman accept the donation from the Sloan Everett Pure Country Pedal Memorial Bike Ride organizers. Also pictured are Breckenridge Chamber of Commerce President Cayce Malcuit, Elizabeth Everett, Jim Everett and Whitney Stultz, Chamber office manager. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Cecil Ramsaier, Billy Gilbreath and Sabrina Gilbreath, with the Wayland Volunteer Fire Department, accept a donation from the Sloan Everett Pure Country Pedal Memorial Bike Ride fundraiser. Also pictured are Breckenridge Chamber of Commerce President Cayce Malcuit; WVFD members Sammy Fambro, G.L. DuBose and Chris Houchin; Elizabeth Everett, Jim Everett and Whitney Stultz, Chamber office manager. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Caddo Volunteer Fire Department Chief Sy Mitchell, center, accepts the donation from the Sloan Everett Pure Country Pedal Memorial Bike Ride. Also pictured are Breckenridge Chamber of Commerce President Cayce Malcuit, Elizabeth Everett, Jim Everett and Whitney Stultz, Chamber office manager. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Cutline, top photo: Last week, Jim Everett and Elizabeth Everett, Sloan Everett’s father and sister, talk to the organizers of the annual Sloan Everett Pure Country Pedal Memorial Bike Ride and the volunteer fire departments that received donations from the fundraiser. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
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