by David Flint
About 100 bikers roared out of Gardner’s field on Route 22 in Stephentown on Saturday morning starting on the tenth and final Ryan & Courtney Memorial Motorcycle Run. The Run through three states, and the Pig Roast that follows, has been a tribute to Ryan Gardner and Courtney Carelli whose young lives ended prematurely in 2004 in a tragic auto accident. [private]Ryan was the son of Neil and Susan Gardner of Stephentown and Courtney the daughter of Anthony and Rosemarie Carelli of Grafton. Friends and family decided shortly after their deaths to set up a fund so that the two could leave behind a mark which they had not had time in life to do. Janet Atwater suggested that the fund be used to enable Berlin Central School kids to take college courses while still in high school. Brad Humphrey came up with the idea for the motorcycle run and set out to organize it.
The First Run
The first run in August 2004 included 285 motorcycles. Over 700 people attended the raucous pig roast at the Stephentown Muster Field afterward. Susan Gardner said the biggest year was 2005 when close to 800 people attended. With so many bikers involved in the 90 mile run, there has, surprisingly, been only one minor accident in the ten years of the Run. Susan Gardner said that the police departments of Bennington, North Adams and Williamstown have all been “super cooperative.”
The numbers have been down a bit since 2005, but the enthusiasm has not diminished. This year about 200 people enjoyed the revelry at the Muster Field. “We had a beautiful final ride with no rain,” said Lisa Hammersmith. “Also the rain held off for all the festivities and food. The bands were awesome, and the Chinese auction was bigger than ever and very successful by the amount of people buying tickets.”
The Hammersmith family was the winning bidder at $500 in the auction of a beautiful quilt made by Joanne Duncan of Averill Park at the request of Vicki Guilbeault. The quilt was made from the T-shirts that commemorated each one of the ten years of the run. The T-shirts each year were designed by artist Wes Lamore and made by Lorraine Czerno of CTB Imprintables in New Lebanon. Two additional identical quilts were made and presented to the mothers of Courtney and Ryan.
Scholarships Awarded
Some 220 scholarships have been awarded in the last ten years. Applicants must be in eleventh or twelfth grade at Berlin Central High School, seeking to enroll in the College in the High School program or in Hudson Valley Community College’s distance learning program. Preference is given to those students in the Federal Free Lunch Program, but Gardner said scholarships have been given every year and no student has ever been turned away. Courses taken have included AutoCAD, Spanish, computer technology, calculus, art and a myriad of other subjects. Students must provide a brief statement explaining why they would like to take the course. Applications are available at the high school guidance office.
An Endowment
Gardner said that while the Courtney-Ryan Run may have come to an end, the fund has been made an endowment that now has a base of $50,000 and the scholarships will continue. The endowment will exist in perpetuity at the Hudson Valley College Foundation. “Because of the community’s generosity, the names of Courtney Carelli and Ryan Gardner will live forever at Hudson Valley Community College and assist students for years to come,” Gardner said. “Our families and many friends who assist with the motorcycle run wish to thank everyone for many years of support. Every year we have been moved by the incredible generosity of this community in helping us to keep the memories of Ryan and Courtney alive and everlasting.”
Many Supporters
Gardner was at a loss to name the hundreds of people and businesses that have supported the Run in many ways. Some that came to mind were Pittsfield Lawn and Tractor for every year providing the lawn tractor and utility trailer as large/entry ticket raffle items, Averill Park Septic and Schodack Septic Service of Nassau for providing the portable toilets, Blarney Tent Rentals of Hancock for tents, tables and chairs, the Stephentown Fire Department for handling beer sales, Jamie Quinn and family for providing and cooking the pig the last several years and the late Ray Darling for organizing the arm wrestling tournaments.
Many businesses from all over – Brunswick, Hoosick Falls, Canaan, Chatham – have donated gift certificates and prizes for the Chinese auction. This year a truckload of gravel was donated by Quality Construction of Cherry Plain, and the Gundrum family of Grafton donated a truckload of log length wood. And Gardner noted that people at Berlin’s Fourth of July Parade were “super generous,” buying a thousand dollars in tickets that day.
Like Family
Tony Gale of Stephentown was a close friend of Ryan Gardner. He rode in the Memorial Run every year up until recently. He was impressed with the way so many people came together and worked so hard together to bring off this tribute to his friend. In the process, he
said, people who didn’t know each other “became like family.” Gale was a bit sad to see the Run come to an end, but Gardner consoled him suggesting that the friends of Courtney and Ryan might still get together next year in August and future years and have a big party.
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