ERIE, Pa. – The annual Roar on the Shore Bike Week charity event has been canceled for 2020.
(Photo courtesy of Roar on the Shore.)
Instead, a memorial ride will be held in July to honor organization founder Ralph Pontillo who passed away at his home in Florida in September, according to the group’s official website.
The group that has donated more than $1,000,000.00 to charities from the event celebrated its 13th year in July of 2019.
According to a published article on ErieNewsNow.com, the 2019 event was moved from downtown Erie to the Lake Erie Speedway when city officials declined to cover the costs of police security and other services.
It is unknown if there are plans to revive the event in the future.
Roar on the Shore Bike Week is a trademarked name for the nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. It has contributed to such organizations as the Boys & Girls Club of Erie, The Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville, Pa., Shriners Hospital for Children-Erie, and other organizations.
Details for the Ralph Pontillo memorial ride have not yet been finalized.
For more information, visit the group’s website Roarontheshore.com.
Roar on the Shore’s full statement:
Following significant research, analysis and discussion, the Roar on the Shore Board of Directors today announced that it has officially suspended plans to host the Roar on the Shore® Bike Week in 2020. Organizers plan to hold a memorial ride in July to honor the memory of Ralph Pontillo, a great leader and the charitable event’s executive director who passed away unexpectedly in September 2019 at his home in Florida. Details of the memorial ride will be released at a later time.
“The Roar on the Shore Board of Directors would like to thank the thousands of volunteers, partners, sponsors, vendors, citizens of Erie, participants from around country and the Manufacturer & Business Association (MBA), as the founding sponsor, for their role in making Roar on the Shore® one of the biggest charitable events our community has ever seen, while simultaneously injecting millions annually into our local economy,” the Board stated. “We appreciate all of their support over the past 13 years and encourage them to join us for the charitable memorial ride this summer.”
In 2007, the MBA created the Roar on the Shore® to raise funds for a worthy charity each year. Recognizing early on the potential of the event, it was decided to create Roar on the Shore® Bike Week as a stand-alone 501(c)(3) nonprofit entity.
Since its inception, Roar® has raised and donated nearly $1 million to charitable organizations. Past recipients include: John Kanzius Research, Shriners Hospitals for Children – Erie, local veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, SafeNet’s Big Backyard Children’s Garden, the Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville, Pa., the Perry 200 Commemoration, Boys & Girls Club of Erie, Saint Patrick’s Haven, Erie Homes for Children & Adults’ Project First Step, St. Martin Center Playground, Mercy Center for Women and the Sarah A. Reed Children’s Center. In 2019, Allstate Roar on the Shore® Bike Week donated $25,000 to the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Erie County’s (NAMI) Homefront program.
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