By Kyla Hurt
Photos/Kim Runkle, ElCrow Photography and Elevated Ideas, LLC.
The 2024 Peacekeepers Incorporated Golden Anniversary Ride made its way through downtown Jacksonville on Sunday, July 21.
Peacekeepers was started in 2004 as a Springfield nonprofit group aimed at assisting the men and women of law enforcement and military in the State of Illinois; the group later joined with the Illinois Sheriff’s Association in order to help take their efforts statewide.
Downtown Jacksonville streets were filled with nearly 500 motorcycles and Jeeps among other vehicles that were on the 8-mile processional.
Various food trucks were set up and local businesses were open for the riders to stop and get lunch.
The ride started at the 183 Air National Guard at the Springfield Airport and then went down Old Jacksonville Road. The group then stopped in Jacksonville around noon before continuing on to Cass County, where they made a stop in Havana. The group left Havana and continued on to Sherman, for the final stop and evening-long celebration of the 2024 Peacekeepers Incorporated Golden Anniversary Ride.
Illinois State Police Trooper Dakotah “Kody” Chapman-Green was the honorary VIP. Chapman-Green was shot during a traffic stop on the south side of Springfield in November 2023.
For more information on the ride, check the group’s Facebook page, @springfieldareapeacekeepersinc.
