TAR HEEL — Tar Heel Volunteer Fire Department will hold its first Memorial Ride to honor fallen comrad Lt. Ronald P. Allen Jr. The event will be held Saturday, Sept. 26, with registration at 8 a.m. at the Tar Heel Volunteer Fire Department, located on Tar Heel Ferry Road in Tar Heel.

Allen was killed in the line of duty on Sept. 22, 2006. He was struck by a car while working on a fire hydrant on Hwy. 87 near the Smithfield plant. Allen is the only Bladen County firefighter that has lost his life in the line of duty.

The ride will begin at 9 a.m. at the Tar Heel Volunteer Fire Department (Station 57). The riders will travel to White Oak, connect with Hwy. 53 and travel to Hwy. 701 and on to Bentonville Memorial Battleground, for a total of 74 miles. When the group returns to Station 57 they will be served a plate lunch.

Entry fees are $30 per bike or vehicle and $5 for each of the passenger or passengers on or in either. Monetary donations will be accepted. All the proceeds will go towards the purchase and upgrade of equipment for Tar Heel Volunteer Fire Department.

For information, visit the Web site at www.tarheelfire.com or contact Mike Underwood at 910-476-9396 or Robert O’Briant at 910-633-9439.