Blessed Bikes Hit the Road with a Roar

Just days after he received his license, Grafton resident Joey Wilson rode in the annual ride from the American Legion Delisle-Goulet Post 92 with about 35 other bikers.

A year later, the same ride was held in his name. More than 150 bikers participated in the blessing of the bikes and the Joey Wilson ride yesterday.

Joey was 16 when he was killed in a car accident in December.But his aunt Liz Beshia swears he was at yesterday's ride in spirit.

When she got into her car that morning, the radio was playing Elvis Presley's version of "In the Ghetto.'' 

That was Joey's favorite song. "I burst into tears,'' she said.

Before the bikers left the Legion parking lot, they and their vehicles were blessed by Spirit Wolf, who offered a Native American blessing, and Georgette LeMay, a Eucharistic minister at

Then, with a roar, they did something Joey Wilson dearly loved: They hit the open road.