More than 1,000 motorcyclists revved their engines and toured southwestern Connecticut for the ninth annual Connecticut United Ride.

The ride took bikers through 10 towns in Fairfield County to raise money for Connecticut firefighters, police officers and the United Way. The ride, a September 11, 2001 tribute, brought out bikers from Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut and Delaware.

"This is what patriotic means," says Fred Garrity Jr. "You get everybody together, and this proves the goal that we're trying to reach."