Riverland Community College is kicking off its 75th anniversary with the annual Bikers of Student Success (BOSS) ride Saturday.

Registration is from 9 to 9:30 a.m., and the ride starts at 10 a.m. at Riverland’s east Austin campus.

“This is something that started 14 years ago with Harley, biker types that wanted to support scholarships, so they organized this charity ride and have been doing it ever since,” said Steve Bowron, dean for institutional advancement. “It’s just a really, really fun group of people.”

Bowron said the ride usually attracts 50 to 60 motorcyclists, but this year organizers are hoping for 75 to help celebrate the 75th anniversary. The Triple Diamond theme is tied to the 75th anniversary, diamond representing the anniversary and triple representing the three states the ride will travel through. The BOSS ride is kicking off Riverland’s 75th anniversary, and there are more events planned to help celebrate throughout the year.

The ride has raised more than $50,000 over the last 14 years for Riverland student scholarships. Bowron said about $20,000 is invested in an endowment, generating money for scholarships.

“It’s just a really unique event because this is from the biker community,” Bowron said. “It’s kind of a wonderful program that’s just really helped.”

The Triple Diamond ride will last about five hours and will go through areas of Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin. The ride will finish at Austin’s Torge’s Live, 1701 Fourth St. NW, where a silent auction and raffle will be held to raise more funds. The cost per bike is a minimum of $25, and the ride is open to the public.

“Most of them are Harley guys and ladies, but we have people who come out from all sizes,” Bowron said. “As long as they have a bike that can make it five hours.”

Although he has never joined the ride, Bowron has been a part of the foundation for about four years. He said he has seen some riders participate every year.

“It’s just a really fun time to get a lot of people together just to help students,” Bowron said. “It’s a sight to see when they leave, all in a row. It’s really, really fun.”

For more information, call 507-433-0630, email laurie.minehart@riverland.edu or visit www.riverland.edu/bossride.