Community invited to memorial bike ride

North Idaho College will honor the memory of former student Brian Williams with a memorial bike ride at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8 at O’Shays Irish Pub and Eatery in Coeur d’Alene.

The poker ride is appropriate for riders of all ages and will include prizes for the best hand at the end of the ride. The event will also include live music, door prizes, a silent auction and a barbecue from 4 to 7 p.m. on O’Shays’ patio. A $25 donation covers the barbecue, live music and poker ride entry. Participants who don’t want to ride are encouraged to come to O’Shays for the other events. Proceeds will benefit the Brian Williams Memorial Scholarship.

Williams was 28 years old when he was killed in a plane crash in 2010 while flying over Glacier National Park. He participated in Outdoor Pursuits trips and was involved in a variety of outdoor programs offered through the college. He graduated from NIC in 2007 and transferred to the University of Montana to study law and pursue his dream of instituting changes in environmental policy. Williams was an outdoors enthusiast, spending his free time enjoying the scenery from the top of a mountain peak or finding peace at his cabin on the Moyie River, with his dog Charlie, his friends, family and his guitar.

A memorial fund has been established in Williams’ honor through the North Idaho College Foundation to support students studying outdoor leadership at NIC. The goal of the fundraiser is to raise enough money so that the scholarship will be endowed, providing $250 every semester for a student indefinitely.

To sign up, call the NIC Outdoors Center at (208) 676-7169.