Organizers of Saturday's memorial motorcycle ride were pleasantly surprised by the outpouring of support for the families of 13-year-old Abby Williams and 14-year-old Libby German.

DELPHI (WTHR) - They planned for 200. They got 4,000. Organizers of Saturday's motorcycle memorial ride were pleasantly surprised by the outpouring of support for the families of 13-year-old Abby Williams and 14-year-old Libby German.

Riders came from across the state with some coming from Ohio. One motorcycle even had an Arizona license plate.

One by one, each biker comes together, uniting to send a message of support to the families of the two girls.





“Carroll County has a small county and we are all like one big family,” said Polly Redding.

“We'd much rather come out here and assist the families and teach our children then sit at home on the couch,” Joey Lamson said.

The tragedy hits home for so many here today, including the Lamson family who knows it won’t be long until their daughter is a teenager, too.

“There are a lot of decisions that fathers and mothers make as a family and sometimes you have to cut the rope and let them go, but other times when stuff like this happens it kind of makes you think that maybe we should hold on a little bit more for a little bit longer,” Joey Lamson said.

But Saturday was all about supporting the families of 13-year-old Abby Williams and 14-year-old Libby German.

Every rider paid $5 and $20 for their bike, along with prizes and raffles.

“All the proceeds are going to go to help the families,” said Brad Henry, one of the organizers.

He simply felt compelled to do something.

“Nobody wants to see a child hurt,” he said. Originally we just thought it was going to be close family members and surrounding communities, but one social media got a hold of it, it just exploded.”

Riders flooded downtown Delphi, with leaders having to squeeze in as many people as possible all around the town square.

“It brought tears to my eyes when I was coming into Delphi just to see how many bikes were here to support. It is an awesome feeling. It is a sad situation and an awesome feeling,” Redding said.

A prayer service started the ride, with some family members attending.

From there, balloons donated by Lafayette businesses are released. One by one, they reach the sky, lifting the families -- and community -- in prayer.

Then the ride begins, as a community tries moves on.

“It's very sad, because it could happen to our own family and it is heartbreaking. It could happen to any of us at anytime we never know,” Redding said.