Honoring the memories of those lost

Sunday’s event honored memories of area Kyle Petrick and Hunter Ried

Hundreds of friends and family members came together on Sunday afternoon to honor the memory of Kyle Petrick and Hunter Ried.

Petrick was killed in a head-on collision on his way to work in Monroe County last week and Ried was the passenger in a vehicle who died from injuries sustained in a single-vehicle crash on CTH M on August 21.

Petrick and Ried lived close to each other and shared many of the same circle of friends. While memorials, especially those for younger people, often have a somber tone Sunday’s gathering celebrated their shared love of motor vehicles and customized trucks. The event included a parade which included several dozen pick-ups and semis. The route started at the high school, went down Main Street and ended up at the parking lot in front of the Tractor Supply Company store in the Medford Plaza where they gathered for a picture and shared memories of the two young men. At the parking lot, a handful of those present also did burnouts, keeping their vehicles in place while spinning their tires creating clouds of smoke. About a 150 people took part in the group photo at the event on Sunday to honor the memories of Kyle Petrick and Hunter Ried. The two men lived close to each other and were in the same group of friends who shared an interest in motor vehicles. They died in car crashes in August and last week. Petrick’s funeral was held Saturday in Medford.

Those in attendance noted that it was a way for the young people to vent their emotions and frustrations at the deaths of the two men.

Law enforcement from the Medford Police Department and Taylor County Sheriff’s Department assisted in traffic control and were on hand to help ensure things did not get out of hand at the parking lot.

While many of those at the memorial event were young people, attendees spanned all ages with the men’s extended family taking part in honoring their memories.