Trussville Witches Ride raises over $20,000 for 11-year-old

The Trussville Witches Ride made its way from Cahaba Elementary through the Cahaba Homestead on Oct. 22, raising money for a good cause.

The convoy of local women dressed as witches, riding bicycles or low-speed vehicles, were met with live music from the Highway 11 band at the beginning of the ride and a country western-themed after-party at Ferus with the Tommy Crowder Band.

The outfits ran the gamut from sparkling Disco Dolly Partons to a Sugar Skull coven, to 90s-themed “Saved by the Spell” witches. The theme that took first place for best group theme was “Fancy Like,” based on the lyrics of the hit song by Walker Hayes.

The Trussville Witches Ride board includes President Christy McDonald, Vice President Niki Lincoln, Treasurer Lindsay Rutland, Secretary Robin Ormond and Public Relations/Social Media Manager Karli Langner. The board determines which cause the ride will benefit through nominations from residents of Trussville.

This year, the board unanimously decided that the funds should be given to 11-year-old Caleb Wilson, a Paine Elementary student. Caleb is fighting a type of cancer called neurofibromatosis Type 1, which is characterized by the growth of tumors along nerves in the skin, brain and other parts of the body.

As the beneficiary of this year’s Trussville Witches Ride, Caleb also served as the Grand Marshal as the parade of witches flew through the streets.

The Trussville Witches Ride had the support of 43 sponsors this year, more than double the number from last year, while 281 women participated in the ride. The community also purchased T-shirts and several individuals and businesses made donations, resulting in over $20,000 in funds raised for the Wilson family to assist in paying for Caleb’s treatments.

“We are completely humbled by this community’s love and support, whether that be through the financial aspect, the messages, the phone calls, or the comments on social media,” said Caleb’s mother, Heather Wilson. “We don’t have a ton of family, so your support has felt like family to us.”

“We want to thank this community from the bottom of our hearts,” added Caleb’s dad, Matt Wilson. “The last year and a half have been incredibly difficult, and some people have walked through that with us. I’d be wasting a good opportunity if I didn’t use this platform to give honor to God because he has walked with us and sustained us throughout this entire journey. No one walks with you like Jesus Christ does, and for that, we want to give him thanks.”

The Trussville Witches Ride has only been around for three years, and it has grown significantly from the 70 participants in its inaugural year. The board established the ride as a nonprofit in 2021.

The 2023 Trussville Witches Ride will take place on Oct. 21. Follow @trussvillewitchesride on Facebook and Instagram for more information.

Submitted by Karli Langner.