Have you ever met a person that you instantly feel connected to? That always had a smile on their face? That is exactly the feeling Mike Kitchen and Heidi Pratt passed on to anyone who knew them. They were just good people, with hearts of gold.

Tragically, Mike and Heidi were killed at their home in Oakfield on September 23rd, 2013. Their memory lives on, and on Saturday, September 20th, 2014 a first anniversary Memorial Ride & Walk will be held in Merrill in their honor.

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Registration will begin at Merrill Millstream Park in Merrill beginning at 8 a.m.  There will be a registration Fee of $10 per rider or walker. Participants will receive a souvenir magnet, chicken barbeque and raffle ticket for several surprise raffle items.

An opening ceremony will be held at 10 a.m., with the dedication of a memorial bench, donated by Katahdin Forest Products. This bench will be strategically place in from of the pavilion, where Santa sits during the “Christmas in the Park.” Six local fire departments present on that fateful day will be recognized and given a special plaque in memory of Mike & Heidi. Danny Beers will sing “Amazing Grace”, which was a special song especially enjoyed and often requested by Heidi.

Motorcycle riders will depart at 10:15 a.m. for an approximately one hour run, a route often ridden by Mike and Heidi. Immediately following their departure, non riders will leave MMP and walk to Mike & Heidi’s vacant house lot, led by the Oakfield Fire Department. Upon arrival, each participant will receive a bulb to plant in a raised bed sitting where the home once was.

Riders and walkers will gather back at MMP at approximately 12:00 for a chicken barbeque. There will also be ten “Raffle Baskets” donated by various individuals and businesses. Tickets will be sold on these throughout the morning  and the raffle held at approximately 1:30 p.m. Throughout this period, smaller items will be raffled with the tickets handed out at registration.

The final event will be an auction for a single item: a coveted assortment of Harley Davidson memorabilia.

Proceeds from this event will go into the “Mike and Heidi Memorial Fund.”  This fund is administered by the Merrill Millstream Park Committee. It enables events at MMP for kids. For example, it will pay for the goodie bags handed out to close to 100 kids during the annual “Christmas in The Park.”

Many people have already expressed an interest in helping. There are five  ways individuals or organizations can help:  1) First and most important, attend the event   2)  Provide a salad or desert to compliment the chicken barbeque  3)  Help increase the Mike & Heidi Memorial Fund by purchasing raffle tickets during that day 4)  Financial donations toward the costs, allowing all registration fees and raffle tickets to go directly into the Mike & Heidi Memorial Fund.  5) Finally, several volunteers will be needed to help with traffic, food, etc. during the day.  Those wishing to help out can contact Ken Bustard (659-2018),  email Ken at accountingcoach@gmail.com, or send a facebook message.

 

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