Saturday afternoon, the Belmont County air and roadways will be filled with the sounds of cycles as the Warthogs MC Ohio is conducting its 5th Annual Breeze Memorial Ride.
It was one of the few events last year that didn’t cancel because of the pandemic, and Bellaire Warthogs MC secretary Jaime Morgan noted the event has grown greatly since its inception.
“The ride has grown every year,” said Ditch, Morgan’s club nickname. “Last year, we had 205 bikes attend. We normally have between three to five different clubs that show up, but mostly we have different chapters of the Warthogs Motorcycle Club from all over the country—Michigan, New York, South Carolina, George, and Pennsylvania.”
The ride gets under way at the Residence Inn hotel behind the Ohio Valley mall at 11 a.m. Saturday morning.
Signups are still ongoing for anyone that wishes to get on-board at the last minute. Last-minute registration begins at 9:30 a.m. and ends at 10:45 a.m.
“It’s not too late to sign up,” Morgan noted. “You can do so from 9:34 until 10:45, and the ride leaves at 11”
There will be an after party immediately following the ride, also at the Residence Inn. For those only wishing to join the ride, the cost is $20 per bike and $10 per passenger. Dinner-only tickets for the reception are also available for $20 apiece.
Honoring Breeze
Breeze was a fellow member of the Warthogs MC. Professionally, Don Buff Jr. was a member of the Cambridge SWAT Team, a training officer at the Belmont Correctional Institute, and a reserve deputy for the Belmont County Sheriff’s Office.
In February 2016, Breeze and two others were off-roading in a Jeep when the vehicle went over a cliff in proximity to Ohio 7 near Powhattan Point.
The accident took the lives of Breeze, Tim Zugaro, and Dave Boltz.
This run is in honor of Breeze’s memory and also a way to raise funding so that other members of the force can be protected.
All proceeds from the memorial run will go toward sponsoring ballistic vests for K-9 officers from Vested Interest in Breeze’s name.
Vested Interest is a non-profit organization that works to provide ballistic and stab-proof vests to K-9 officers.
Since its inception in 2009, the organization has helped supply more than 4,301 vests.
Those wishing to donate to the cause, even without participating in the run itself, can do so by visiting the Bellaire Warthogs MC Facebook page and messaging Morgan about helping out.
