The first of those groups will arrive around 10 a.m. Saturday, as the memorial will again be a stopping place along the route for a large group of West Coast bikers making the Run for the Wall from California to Washington, D.C.

Run for the Wall participants will stop at the Big Spring memorial on their way to the nation’s capitol where they’ll participate in the annual Rolling Thunder observance on Memorial Day at the Vietnam Memorial.

“From what we understand, there are going to be something like 300 bikers, plus their support vehicles coming,” Big Spring Vietnam Memorial Committee spokesman Jerry Groves said. “They’ll be arriving somewhere between 10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. They will again come into town from the west on Business 20 and FM 700. And they’ll spend about an hour at the memorial before going on to Colorado City where they’ll stop for a lunch break.

“The public is certainly invited to come and join us,” Groves added, “but spectators need to be aware of the number of vehicles that are going to be involved in the procession. We ask that people be careful and not get into intersections and disrupt the riders and their support group.”

Groves also noted than any local residents wanting to join the Run for the Wall in Big Spring and accompany the group to Washington must register ahead of time.

Then, on May 25, while Run for the Wall participants are taking part in Rolling Thunder, the Permian Basin Ride to Remember will see 500 bikers or more take part in the ride from the Permian Basin Vietnam Memorial at Terminal to the Big Spring Vietnam Memorial.

That ride traditionally begins about 10 a.m. on Memorial Day and the group should arrive in Big Spring around 11 a.m.

However, Ride to Remember participants have not announced whether they will enter Big Spring along their traditional route — U.S. Highway 87, parading south on Gregg Street and turn west on FM 700 en route to the memorial — or adopt an entry into the city like Run for the Wall participants.

Groves said a brief ceremony will be conducted when the procession arrives at the memorial.

“We definitely encourage the public to come out and join us for the ceremony,” he said. “But we definitely want people to remember what Memorial Day is for — to honor the men and women who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation.”

To contact Managing Editor John A. Moseley, call 263-7331, ext. 230, or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it