The Steel Horse Rally Board of Directors presented its first donation to a local charity, The General Darby Legacy Project, on Thursday (July 9) at Old Fort Harley-Davidson in Fort Smith.
Dennis Snow, president of the Steel Horse Rally Inc. said he is proud to present this first charitable donation along with the board members.
“After an exceptionally successful inaugural event, we are honored to present our first charitable donation to the General Darby Legacy Project,” Snow said. “This donation is from everyone who attended the first Steel Horse Rally. This first charitable donation holds an extra special significance because it honors the contributions of General Darby and the military, which the Steel Horse Rally is dedicated to, and it will also help improve the city of Fort Smith.”
The General Darby Legacy Monument will honor the memory of Fort Smith native, Gen. William O. Darby for his contributions during World War II and his role as the founder of the modern day U.S. Army Rangers.
The installation of the Gen. William O. Darby Statue will take place during the Steel Horse Rally, April 29-30, 2016. The date of the 2nd Annual Steel Horse Rally was scheduled so rally-goers could be part of the dedication and unveiling ceremony.
The monument will be unveiled at Cisterna Plaza in the heart of downtown Fort Smith, and will be a recreation of documented pictures of Gen. Darby riding a 1942 Harley-Davidson WLA during World War II. The Darby Legacy Project began raising funds for the project on Feb. 8, 2013, Gen. Darby’s birthday and they are continuing to raise money for the completion of the project. Customized engraved bricks are being sold to help raise funds for the monument and will be placed on the base of the monument. Link here for more info about the project or to make a donation.
The Darby Legacy Project is one of four local charities that applied to the Steel Horse Rally along with the Fort Smith Museum of History, The Gregory Kistler Treatment Center and the Arkansas Veterans Home. These charities were selected out of nearly two dozen charities that applied for funding from the Steel Horse Rally Inc., a 501(c) 3 non-profit charity that helps raise money for local charities that help children, veterans and the betterment of the Fort Smith area. Because of the success of the first Steel Horse Rally which brought more than 30,000 people to downtown Fort Smith and had an economic impact on the area of more than $4 Million, the Steel Horse Rally Inc. will be making donations to four charities.