'Back the Blue' Motorcycle Ride Pushed Back A Week Due To Rain

MERIDEN/FARMINGTON, CT — A special motorcycle ride will take place Saturday, Oct. 28, to honor the memories of fallen police heroes, including two killed a year ago in Bristol and another who died in Hartford last month.

The event is called "Back the Blue: A Ride to Remembrance"and it will start in Meriden and conclude in Farmington to honor three fallen officers the past year.

It was originally slated to take place on Saturday, Oct. 21, but a rainy weather forecast prompted organizers to push the event back a week to Saturday, Oct. 28.

Hosted by the Cheshire-based Hometown Foundation and Yankee Harley-Davidson of Bristol, "Back the Blue" will honor the legacies of Bristol police officers Sgt. Alex Hamzy and Lt. Dustin DeMonte, as well as Hartford police Det. Robert "Bobby" Garten.

Hamzy and DeMonte were killed by a gunman more than a year ago responding to a call in Bristol, while Garten was killed while on duty in a traffic accident early last month in Hartford.

"When tragedy strikes it is important not to forget and to use these moments to continue to raise awareness, create connections, make space to grieve, and focus on hopefulness as a community," wrote the Hometown Foundation in an announcement for "Back the Blue."

According to the foundation, the day will include a motorcycle poker run, car display, food and beverage trucks, family fun, a touch-a-truck, and a ceremony of remembrance.

Registration for the motorcycle poker run will take place between 10 and 11:30 a.m. at the Connecticut Law Enforcement Memorial in Meriden, 285 Preston Ave.

From there, motorcyclists will journey to Farmington at the Farmington Polo Club, 162 Town Farm Road, Farmington.

That, organizers said, is where bikers will draw their last card before poker run winners are announced.

Meanwhile, the grounds of the Farmington Polo Club will open to the public at 11 a.m. The ceremony of remembrance begins at 1:30 p.m. before the event's conclusion at 2 p.m.

Proceeds from the event will benefit The Hometown Foundation's Emergency Response Pillar, which supports the families of the fallen heroes, Tunnel to Towers Foundation, and the Main Street Community Foundation's memorial in Bristol.

For more information and to purchase tickets to the event/poker run, click on this link.

For more information on the Cheshire-based Hometown Foundation, click on this link.

From Oct. 13, 2022: '2 Bristol Cops Shot, Killed, Suspects Identified By Police: UPDATE'

From Sept. 7: 'Second-Generation Hartford Cop Killed In Crash: UPDATE