Hundreds of Bikers Pack The Hide-A-Way Tavern To Back The Blue

By: Lincoln Infield

Lately the TV has social unrest on every channel. It seems that everyone coast to coast have been protesting the police and calling for the police to be defunded. It didn’t look good for the boys in blue. However, a couple hundred bikers in Richmond County were determined to let their local law enforcement know, that they back the blue. On September 19th, I rolled into the Hide-A-Way Tavern in Rockingham, NC for the Back The Blue Ride at 11:30 and there were already a few bikes and riders anticipating the day’s events. Chris, the proprietor of the Hide-A-Way Tavern, let me know that a big group of riders was heading in from Laurinburg along with the police escort that was leading the ride that day. Chris wasn’t kidding. A pack of at least 200 motorcycles rolled in and packed the Hide-A-Way Tavern parking lot and overflowed on to other nearby clearings. There were motorcycles parked everywhere you looked, some were flying the USA Thin Blue Line flags, American flags, Thin Red Line flags and there were a ton of pro-police shirts in the crowd. There was no guessing which side of the line these bikers were on. Along with the bikes came around 30 or more cagers, a couple fire trucks, ambulances and other LEO vehicles that wanted to make sure their support was noted as well. This event was such a big deal that NC’s 9th district congressmen Dan Bishop, made a special stop at the Hide-A-Way Tavern. Congressman Bishop utilized the PA System of a Scotland Co Sheriff’s Car to deliver a stirring pro-LEO speech to the crowd. The congressmen ended his speech and exited the car to a huge round of applause. He stuck around to shake hands and pose for photos as well. After the congressmen made his rounds, we had a quick prayer and some riding instructions before we got the signal to fire up the bikes. The ride was fully escorted, of course, and the purpose of the ride was to parade past the local LEO offices to make sure they felt the support of the local biker community. We cruised by the Richmond and Scotland County Sheriff’s Departments, and the Rockingham Hamlet, and Laurinburg Police Departments. before ending the ride at Jerry’s Deli & Grill in Laurinburg, NC. The police escort was awesome and had all the intersections blocked along the way. We were downtown to hit these LEO departments and as you can imagine, it took a while for250 + bikes clear an intersection! The bikes on the ride were flying flags and I know I heard “Proud To Be An American” and “Bad Boys” blaring from the audio systems on the ride. There is a huge field beside Jerry’s where the Back the Blue rally continued with some guest speakers including 2 county commissioners, Scotland County Sheriff Ralph Kersey, and NC Senator Tom McInnis. They also had a pile of raffle prizes, a 50/50 and a DJ putting out some music. Jerry’s also provided a bunch of food for the riders. There were grills running, and the food smelled awesome. I saw folks eating shish kabobs, pizza, BBQ, shaved ice, cotton candy and more. It was a free ride, but the money collected from the 50/50 that day went to the “Shop with a Cop” program for all the Police Departments and Sheriff’s offices we paraded by that day. It was a well put together, well-orchestrated ride and there is no doubt that the motorcycle community supports the Law Enforcement in the area. Event organizer, Chris Jackson, said he “wasn’t expecting the crowd that showed up and it was a great feeling to know that as a police officer you have that much support”. Chris also mentioned that plans were in the works for next year’s Back The Blue Ride. Make sure to keep your eye on the Carolinas’ Full Throttle Magazine Cruisin’ Calendar for details.