Trail of Tears participants to be directed to McFarland

FLORENCE -- All participants in the Trail of Tears Commemorative Motorcycle Ride will be directed into McFarland Park before they will be allowed to go to Waterloo.

Capt. Wade Pruitt, with the Alabama Highway Patrol, told public safety officials in a planning meeting Tuesday that there is no debate about where motorcyclists will be headed.

"Everyone is coming into the park," Pruitt said.

Still, there is some concern that Saturday's ride from Chattanooga, Tenn., to Florence and Waterloo could be chaotic.

Members of the Trail of Tears board are divided about where the official ride should end.

A majority of board members say McFarland Park is where the ride is ending this year. Other board members say the ride's official end should be Waterloo -- as it has been for the past dozen years.

As far as the Alabama Highway Patrol is concerned, the ride ends in McFarland.

"We want a safe, organized ride," Pruitt said.

Lauderdale County Sheriff Ronnie Wills was planning to escort the ride from McFarland Park to Waterloo.

That changed Tuesday.

Willis said he would no longer offer an escort to Waterloo because lead riders would be in McFarland Park for 90 minutes before being allowed to leave.

"There's no way I can regroup them in an hour and a half," Willis said.

The sheriff said liability is also an issue.

"I can't cover the liability," Willis said. "The safest thing is to let them come on to Waterloo and meet them there."

Ride co-founder Bill Cason said Tuesday the liability for his board ends at McFarland.

Troopers said that ride members will not be allowed to leave the park until the end of the ride has arrived at McFarland.

The ride is expected to arrive in Florence at 1:45

p.m. with the end of the ride entering McFarland at 3:30 p.m.

Willis and Waterloo Mayor Jerry McIntyre wanted riders to be able to choose whether they entered McFarland Park or continued to Waterloo.

Some attending Tuesday's meeting said several groups of riders have expressed that they do not intend to go to McFarland Park and will seek an alternate route to Waterloo. That may not be easy, especially for riders not familiar with Florence.

Just about every other alternative route from Florence to Waterloo will be blocked to Trail riders except one.

The ride will approach Florence from Killen. Riders will be able to turn right on Cox Creek Parkway.

From there they can go to Savannah Highway (Alabama 20), turn north and use various county roads or the Natchez Trace Parkway to find a route to Waterloo.

As it is each year, southbound traffic on Savannah Highway is blocked at Cox Creek Parkway.

That alternative route will not have any law enforcement escort and is not suggested or endorsed by any member of the Trail of Tears board or public safety officials.

Todd Twilley can be reached at 740-5728 or todd.twilley@timesdaily.com.