The First Annual Gypsy Jean Cancer Ride at Lake Columbia is set for June 21 in honor of Tara Fortenberry Ard. The event, presented by the Journey Riderz Foundation and Scooter Tramp Scotty, will benefit Ard’s son, Reed Mitchell.
The ride will begin at Lake Columbia, proceed to the Lynyrd Skynyrd Monument Site in Magnolia and return to Lake Columbia, where hamburgers, hot dogs and beverages will be available.
Riders can register for $30 beginning at 9 a.m., and the ride will begin at 10 a.m.
Ard, the daughter of Mike Fortenberry, Jan Carroll Shepard and stepmother Merri Anne Fortenberry, passed away in December 2024 at the age of 50.
Organizers plan for the Gypsy Jean Cancer Ride to be a yearly event in Marion County to help cancer victims and their families.
Scooter Tramp Scotty’s girlfriend, Jeany Merritt or Gypsy Jean, who died of pancreatic cancer in May 2024, inspired Scottie Moree to start the annual cancer ride in Columbia.
“God led me to do this,” Moree said. “He inherited her motorcycle and was planning on selling it. I told him I would store it for him, and when I went to go pick it up, I was led by God to start this benefit ride.”
A YouTube video posted by Scooter Tramp Scotty about Jeany’s last days has nearly 400,000 views. Scooter Tramp Scotty will be riding Gypsy Jean’s bike during the ride.
