FRANCONIA — On Saturday starting at 10 a.m., the Combat Vets Motorcycle Association (CVMA) will host an event at Cannon Mountain in Franconia Notch State Park to honor those who died on Sept. 11, 2001.

The park, which was dedicated as a veterans memorial in the 1920s, has a number of markers and sites for veterans to see. It is a memorial to all who have served.

This particular gathering will include a flag ceremony and remarks from Congressman Charlie Bass and 9/11 survivor John Molloy. There will be a barbecue with music during the day, as well as a motorcycle ride through the White Mountains.

Peter Newell is commander of CVMA of New Hampshire Chapter 5/II, Northern Chapter. He noted that the event is part of a two-day, 12-state regional meet of the CVMA to be held in Littleton over the weekend.

Although the meeting itself is for CVMA members only — from as far away as the District of Columbia, Delaware and Maryland — the Sept. 8 ceremony will be free and open to the public.

This event will kick off with a dedication and the unfurling of three 50-by-100-foot American flags by a member from the National Parks Service at the base of the mountain. Volunteers are sought to participate in the flag ceremony, of which an official photo will be taken and placed in the National Flag Archives.

And of course, there’s the motorcycle ride.

“If people ride motorcycles there, we are doing a ride through the White Mountains, and all are encouraged to ride with us,” said Sean Welch, one of the event’s organizers.

Welch is a combat veteran who served in the U.S. Army in Iraq.

The CVMA motto, he noted, is “Vets helping vets,” and the association holds rides and events “to keep America in the back of (people’s) minds ... and to raise money to donate to needy vets,” Welch said.

Cannon Mountain is surrounded by magnificent scenery and has a memorial to veterans in the base lodge. There is also a new granite marker near the base of the tramway to honor a former employee, U.S. Army Corps Sgt. David Stelmat of Littleton, who was 27 when he died in Iraq in 2008.

The event itself will be held near the aerial tramway, which will be open to the summit for a fee. The admission is $15 for adults round-trip and $12 for children.

At the top, participants can take a short walk to the lookout tower at 4,080 feet, with views of Mount Washington, Vermont and New York’s Adirondacks.

At the top of the tramway, there are restrooms, a restaurant and a bar.

In addition to having the aerial tramway operating and its up-mountain facilities open, the beach at Echo Lake will be open, and there are many short hikes to enjoy in the area.

More information on the state chapter of the CVMA can be found at nh.combatvet.org.

More information on Franconia Notch State Park can be found at nhstateparks.com.

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Paula Tracy may be reached at ptracy@unionleader.com.





























ptracy@unionleader.com