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Memorial ride seeks to honour loved ones lost on Highway 63

Last Updated Jul 2, 2020 at 3:31 pm MDT

IMAGE. Supplied by Petition to twin Hwy 63/Facebook.

The “Lost Lives On Highway 63” Memorial Ride gets underway on July 17.

Founder and lead organizer, Annie Lelievre started the ride in 2012 in memory of her son, who passed away on Hwy 63 on December 31, 2011.

“I wanted to do something in memory of him and for his birthday, and to remember all the loved lives [on the highway] before and after him.”

Lelievre said her former husband died on Hwy. 63 in 2015.

RELATED: Highway 63 twinning is 99 per cent complete

The province constructed Hwy. 63 in 1962.

The memorial ride raises awareness for road safety on the highway, which was single-lane for most of its lifespan.

Alberta completed major twinning in 2015 between Fort McMurray and the Hwy 55 junction in Grassland.

Due to ongoing restrictions from COVID-19, Lelievre said they made some adjustments for this year’s ride.

“We won’t be having the barbeque this year. We’ll just have the ride, and I’ll supply the drinks when we stop out on the highway, and I also supply gas for the smaller motorcycles.”

Motorists meet in the Casman Centre parking lot on July 17, 2020, at 6:30 p.m.

The 200-kilometre round trip begins at 7:00 p.m. and proceeds south to Mariana Lake.

Lelievre said she plans to ride her motorcycle on the journey, but it’s not just for motorcyclists.

“Everyone is welcome. It’s not just motorcyclists, it’s cars. Everybody has lost someone on the highway, so I want to make sure everyone is involved.”

The ninth-edition of the memorial ride on July 17, 2020, would have been her son’s 31st birthday.

More information about the ride as well as photos from past events is available on the “Petition To Twin Hwy. 63” Facebook page.