The Chief Mason Griffith Memorial Ride, held Saturday, May 13, in Rosebud, drew hundreds of participants and raised tens of thousands of dollars, organizers announced over the weekend.
The event raised $26,000, according to Nicky Herbel, founder of the highway safety awareness group Between The White Lines. A total of 545 people and 300 vehicles participated in the UTV and ATV ride and about 100 other people visited Rosebud Community Park for the event, Herbel said in an email Saturday.
The memorial ride was held in honor of Rosebud Police Chief Mason Griffith, who was also a detective sergeant with the Hermann Police Department and was killed in a shooting March 12 in Hermann. HPD Officer Adam Sullentrup was also severely wounded in the shooting.
The event was organized by Between The White Lines in coordination with other groups including Gerald Area Side-by-Sides and the Gerald Lions Club. The money raised will be split between Griffith and Sullentrup’s families, as well as paying for a memorial for Griffith to be built at Rosebud Community Park and new and improved playground equipment at the park, which was a project Griffith supported.
Following the success of the memorial ride, organizers are planning to host the event again around the same time in 2024 and make it an annual event going forward, Herbel said.
