Thousands of motorcyclists and drivers came out Sunday to honor the memory of 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway and raised an estimated $40,000 for her family.
The parking lots around the Quaker Steak & Lube restaurant on U.S. 36 and West 104th Avenue were packed with motorcycles.
The memorial car/bike cruise for the Ridgeway family was the idea of Tim Beckwith, a well-known drag racer and an Arvada resident. It came to him the night the body of the Westminster girl, who disappeared Oct. 5, was found.
"It hit so incredibly close to home," Beckwith said. "I have a 9-year-old and a 2-year-old daughter; I went to Arvada West ... this is my neighborhood."
Beckwith said he thought he would get a lot of support because of his drag-racing fan base and his links to the local biker community.
One of Beckwith's favorite restaurants, Quaker Steak & Lube, agreed to host the event.
The approximately 2,000 participants each paid $20 to participate in the event, according to organizers. Every dollar earned will go to Jessica's parents, Sarah Ridgeway and Jeremiah Bryant, Beckwith said.
Long before official registration opened at noon, the restaurant's parking lot, as well as every parking lot around the restaurant, was packed. Late arrivals lined their bikes along West 104th Avenue up to the entrance ramp of U.S. 36.
Stephan Teske, a family friend and spokesperson for the Ridgeways, said it was by far the largest fundraiser in memory of Jessica.
"I know that most of the money is going to be used for the Jessica Ridgeway Foundation" the family plans to create, Teske said. "They want to do something positive for her memory, like sending kids to camp and cheerleading stuff. Jessica really wanted to do cheerleading."
Beckwith's sponsors designed a special purple helmet that said "We Love you, Jessica" on the front and had a purple memorial ribbon on the back.
Beckwith led the motorcade on his bright red motorcycle just before 2 p.m. At the end of the tour, he and his family signed the helmet and gave it to the Ridgeways.
Megan Mitchell: 303-954-1223, mmitchell@denverpost.com or twitter.com/megs_report
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