Reconciliation Ride begins, volunteers prepare to support

MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) - From 2008 to 2022 the Dakota 38 + 2 Memorial Ride rode from South Dakota to Mankato’s memorial site each December.

While that effort ended in 2022, a new effort began last year, taking the banner of reconciliation on themselves for a new generation.

After a successful year one, that effort set off Wednesday from Fort Thompson in South Dakota.

The 330-mile trip will take them through towns, memorial sites and sacred sites, trudging through snow and wind to land in Mankato the day after Christmas.

They’re not alone on their journey, as groups and cities along the route have volunteered to help them along the way. One of those cities is New Ulm, one of the final stops on the trip, who hosted the riders last year.

A committee of community members have volunteered to host the riders, putting them up in the New Ulm Community Center.

“We just keep showing up to things and things just kind of keep coming into place,” the committee’s Rebecca Demarais said. “We keep asking questions or asking for help and it just keeps showing up.”

It’s an effort that the committee and the city said is an important gesture, showing their support for the message of education and reconciliation.

“This has so increased my faith in people and their caring hearts,” the committee’s organizer Colleen Hokenson said. “I’m humbled, I’ve never seen so many generous people in my life and it’s just the strength of this community that we do care about each other.”

The effort is still seeking additional volunteers. Anyone interested in volunteering for the effort can contact Hokenson at (507) 276-0202.

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