Jimmy's Ride Attracts Hundreds Despite Thunderstorm WarningsBy Andy McKeever, iBerkshires Staff
12:06PM / Sunday, July 15, 2012 | |
 Motorcycle riders cruise down North Street as the 17th annual Jimmy Bernardo Memorial Ride takes off on Sunday. |
Hundreds of motorcyclists met on North Street to kick off the run. |
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — One of largest fundraisers for Berkshire County Kids' Place, the Jimmy Bernardo Memorial Ride, kicked off Sunday with more than 130 motorcyclists.
The annual motorcycle run is in memory of young Jimmy Bernardo who was abducted and murdered in 1990. The ride is in its 17th year and this year took the bikers from North Street, up Route 7 to Route 20 through Becket, down Route 112 into Chester, onto Route 112 through Peru and back to Pittsfield.
The riders will all meet up for music and food at Onota Lake after the hour and a half run.
"The Bernardo family has chosen Berkshire County Kids Place to do a run because if he was found alive, this is the type of agency he would have came to," said Arianne Stuerzel, a program assistant with Kids Place. "It allows us to continue to provide free services to victims of child abuse."
The run raises between $27,000 and $33,000 each year for the agency from donations, raffles and merchandise sales.
This year the turnout is slightly lower than last year, which organizers say is partly weather-related. The National Weather Service is predicting thunderstorms all Sunday afternoon.
Look for more photos from the event later this evening.
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