Photo Gallery: Baxter Waldman Memorial Scholarship Fund Charity Motorcycle Ride

It was an incredible showing for the Baxter Waldman Memorial Scholarship Fund Charity Motorcycle Ride Sunday morning with over 70 riders taking to the streets of Nantucket in remembrance of the high school junior who tragically died last December while riding his motorcycle on Milestone Road.

The route began at the VFW and the group of bikers rode up to the top of New South Road to honor Waldman with a 20-30 second moment of silence. Afterwards, they headed into town via the rotary to Orange Street - down Francis Street to Washington Street - and then back out past The Strip on Broad Street before heading past the Dreamland and onto Main Street. The bikers then made their way out of town back toward the Milestone Rotary en route to Polpis Road for an opportunity to cruise for a bit - riding through Sconset and then back up Milestone to return to the VFW.

After the ride, many of the bikers and other members of the community who do not ride gathered together to enjoy the four food trucks in the VFW parking lot: Snick Snack, Sushi Sean, Noemi’s Dumplings, and Eat Fire Pizza beginning at approximately 11 a.m.

Waldman's mother, Elise Norton, said that all funds raised from the bike ride will go towards the newly created Baxter Waldman Memorial Scholarship Fund, which will begin gifting scholarships to students in the spring of 2024. She added that the food trucks will be donating to the scholarship fund as well.

Scott Capizzo was also on scene as the event's DJ.

On Dec. 8, Waldman was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident. Since that time, Norton has been working tirelessly to find ways to keep his name alive and believes this annual bike ride as well as the scholarship fund is a great place to start.

“The motivation came very much from how much he loved being a motorcyclist and how much he loved riding his bike and being a part of this community on Nantucket," Norton told the Current last month. "We wanted to get the riders out here to come out and ride in his memory. I know we have a large community of people on this island who ride motorcycles.”

Norton said the idea to create the scholarship stems from Waldman’s excitement to attend college.

“Going up to college was something Baxter was really excited about,” Norton said. “He had already picked out the schools he was going to apply to. He had his vision and direction.”

Norton said being able to begin handing out scholarships next year to the Class of 2024, which is Waldman’s class, would be ideal as these students prepare to graduate and finalize their college plans.

As for who will be the recipients of these scholarships, Norton said she anticipates it being students who may not necessarily have the strongest grade but have a strong work ethic like Waldman did while working at the Nantucket Health Club.

“I wanted it to focus more on job and work experience rather than GPA,” she said. “There are a lot of kids who have to work and have to have a job. Maybe sports aren’t a priority, or even your grades are suffering a little bit because you need to go to work. I want those kids to feel that they have a strong running for a scholarship in the event they aren’t in the running for others that are more GPA focused or school/sports focused. We are trying to fill a gap or niche that really fit Baxter’s personality.”

The number of scholarships that will get handed out is still being determined. While it is unknown how much each will be, Norton said right now the estimate is around $2,000 per year.

Anyone interested in donating to the fund can do so by clicking here.

Below are some photos taken throughout the course of the morning.