Published: October 30, 2009 10:34 pm      

Fundraiser held to benefit Lance Cpl. J. Kyle Price Foundation

By RORYE O’CONNOR

rorye.oconnor@register-news.com

MT. VERNON – Community members came last weekend with a two-fold purpose — to have a good time and to raise money in the name of a fallen Jefferson County soldier.

Dale’s Harley-Davidson held its annual Halloween party on Oct. 24 to raise money for the Lance Cpl. J. Kyle Price Foundation. Price, of the Marine 3rd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force based in Camp Lejeune, N.C., was killed in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, on Jan. 13, 2006. Price was from Woodlawn and was the first soldier Jefferson County to die during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

More than 150 people attended the annual Halloween party, dressed as everything from tourists, to undead brides and Michael Jackson.

This year’s Halloween Bash featured silent and live auctions to raise money for the Foundation, which benefits Woodlawn Boy Scout Troop 102, the Illinois Wounded Heroes Foundation and Kyle Price Memorial Scholarships at Woodlawn High School. Price graduated from Woodlawn High School in 2004 and had attained the rank of Eagle Scout.

John Hunsell, step father of Price and the vice president of the foundation, spoke to the audience about teaming up with Dale’s.

“People work hard for us on the foundation,” he said. “Dale’s has been with us one way or another since we started.”

According to the foundation’s Web site, friends and family of Price organized a memorial motorcycle ride in honor of the soldier in April 2006, before the foundation was officially created. That ride has been keld annually since.

During Saturday’s event, Matt Will, of Dale’s Harley-Davidson, led the crowd in a moment of silence for Price and all the soldiers currently serving here and overseas.

After the moment of silence, participants dressed as royalty, convicts and even babies bid on items like a large St. Louis Cardinals rug, a Harley-Davidson end table with a clock imbedded, and Harley rentals or maintenance packages.

Cheers from the crowd egged on bidders trying to get a year of baked goods from a local baker, pushing the winning bid up to $310.

Adam Mocaby, event coordinator, said the Halloween Bash has been an annual charity event for the business since the store opened several years ago.

Will said several Dale’s Harley-Davidson employees are veterans and so have felt an extra incentive to raise money for the Lance Cpl. J. Kyle Price Foundation.