The Iron Order Motorcycle Club of Williamston will embark on the roads of eastern North Carolina for a 40-mile ride to raise money for those who serve our country.

The Locked and Loaded chapter will host its inaugural Military Appreciation Benefit Ride on July 8. This all-day event will feature a 40-mile motorcycle ride through the country, food, drinks, live music and a military appreciation ceremony. All of the proceeds will be donated to the Semper Fi Fund, according to Bryan Rawls, vice president of the chapter.

“We’ve donated to the Semper Fi Fund for the last four years. Towards the fall months we make a trip down to Jacksonville and present a check. I got to thinking that I wanted to do something a little more than ‘here you go, here is a check,’” Rawls said.

While the event is in Williamston, it’s made possible with the help of North Carolina’s oldest chapter: the Skeleton Krew in Washington. Rawls said the planning and organization of the event has been the most grueling part, and it takes all hands on deck to make this event happen.

“It’s a ton of phone calls, a ton of prep work. It takes all of us to pull it off,” Rawls said. “We even have to ask for help from the Washington chapter.”

Ira “Screech” Garrett, president of the Washington chapter, said the two chapters are very close. The Williamston chapter is actually an offshoot of the Washington one, he said. Garrett said his crew helped mostly with the planning of the event, and is looking forward to the ride.

“It’s mostly from a promotional standpoint. We will hand out fliers, help with the route, donate food, help with security and make sure everybody is safe. Our chapters are very close. They lean on us a lot,” Garrett said.

Both Rawls and Garrett agreed that there is nothing better than being able to present the check to the Semper Fi Fund, a program that offers financial assistance to all members of U.S. Armed Forces. Rawls said it is a cause that hits close to home to many members of the club.

“The ultimate goal is presenting the check. … That’s when you see the hard work pay off. That’s what you do all of this for. You’re at the event and you think, ‘This is going okay; we’re doing okay,’ and then all the money is totaled up, and you really find out what you did it for. It’s a wow factor,” Rawls said.

The event is at 3839 Fire Department Road in Williamston. Doors open at 9:15 a.m. and registration is at 10 a.m. The ride begins at 11:30 a.m. For $15, the public can participate in the ride and have lunch. The evening events are $10 and include dinner at 6 p.m. and live music from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.