BUCKHANNON – Riders can enjoy a winter ATV ride and some quality barbecue, all while helping support a five-year-old with adrenal cancer at Tiar’s Winter Wonderland ATV ride this weekend.
Registration for the benefit ride for five-year-old Tiar Heckman will take from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Ellamore Volunteer Fire Department on Sunday, Dec. 13. Riders will pay $20, passengers pay $15, children under five years old get to participate for free. Riders also get a choice between two paths: One is 30 miles and the other is 50 miles. Tiar’s stepmother, Brittany Heckman, said both paths are enjoyable, and the weather should be nice.
Hosted by the Ellamore Volunteer Fire Department, registration will take place at Long Run Road along the Randolph-Upshur County line. According to the event’s Facebook page, the 30-mile ride is dubbed “Over the River & Through the Woods,” while the 50-mile trek is called “A Frosty Adventure.”
What’s more, organizers and the Ellamore Fire Department have emphasized that nonriders are welcome and encouraged to stop by and grab a plate of barbecue for $15 for adults and $7 for kids. Attendees can expect a visit from Santa Claus and The Grinch, too.
“It’s basically supposed to be a fun ride, there’s two different trails,” Heckman explained. “One’s a shorter one for people who want to bring kids, and the longer one takes a few hours to complete, but there should be tunnels you’re going through, so it’s going to be nice – not too cold,” Heckman said.
As of Thursday, temperatures for Sunday are expected to hover in the mid-40s with little chance of rain or snow.
Riders and non-riders will convene at Ellamore Volunteer Fire Department to enjoy Smoke Holler BBQ.
“The barbecue is being served so people that aren’t on the ride can still enjoy the food, participate in a drawing or purchase a T-shirt,” Heckman said.
The barbecue plate will include pulled pork with all the fixins’, drinks and a dessert for $15 or $7 for kids. There will be a $100 prize for the best holiday-themed vehicle and a large prize drawing for those who pre-registered. People can still preregister on PayPal @tiarwinterwonderland or by calling 304-472-5445 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
There will also be a drawing for a Henry Firearm .22 H004AB and tickets will be available for $5 each or five for $20. All the proceeds from the event will go to Tiar’s family.
“St. Jude’s covers her healthcare while she’s down there (at St. Jude’s in Memphis, Tennessee), and her mother is with her right now, but like for us to go visit, St. Jude’s doesn’t cover any of that,” Heckman said. “When we go down, we have to take the money out of our pocket to pay for gas, the hotel, the food, and if we want to do anything with Tiar, we have to pay for that –St. Jude’s doesn’t cover any of that. The money being raised is to ensure that we can still keep doing our frequent visits because she’s very homesick.”
Heckman said Tiar’s treatment has been going well, and they can’t wait to have her home.
“She just finished her third round of IVC, and so far she’s doing pretty good,” Heckman said.
“They’re going be doing scans after every two rounds, so when she finished her second round of chemo, they did an updated CAT scan to show that most of the tumors are either dying or shrinking, so they’re very hopeful they’re on the right path and she won’t need any additional surgeries right now.”
People may follow Tiar’s progress at https://www.facebook.com/TiarWWP or read more about Tiar’s journey here.
