Another Article

Another article about the cross country trip. This time Tawnee and the nephews (Avery & Callan) were mentioned...

"Crew receives warm homecoming reception"

BY AMANDA ALEXANDER

Published:Monday, October 26, 2009 10:10 AM CDT

MILTON — The For Aaron documentary crew was joined by about 30 friends on bikes and over 200 supporters waiting with balloons, signs and hugs as they crossed the finish line for “The Final Ride” at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, which was completed at the Milton Area High School parking lot.

This ride was the last leg of a 3,000-mile journey from Los Angeles to Milton that Justin Jarrett and Kylar Krebs, two 22-year-olds from New Columbia, biked to pay homage to their friend Aaron Klinger, who died in a car accident Jan. 18. Jarrett’s friends Geoff Piraino and Jon McKeown, both of Pittsburgh, provided technical support and filmed the adventure. Jarrett, a budding filmmaker, is producer and director of the film. “For Aaron: The Documentary” will chronicle the rigorous bicycle journey while telling Klinger’s life story through interviews with his family and friends.

The crew picked up about 25 bikers along the way from Perkins in State College to their pit stop at Perkins in Lewisburg, and another five or so from Lewisburg to Milton.

“I never in my wildest dreams expected this,” Jarrett told the crowd gathered at the finish line. Jarrett and Krebs had expected a small turnout due to the inclement weather, but fortunately the rain stopped just in time for the end of their journey; besides, too many people had been touched by Klinger’s life and by Jarrett and Krebs’ journey to stay home.

Sierra Bertanzetti and Arristia Leymarie, who joined the journey at R.B. Winter State Park, both knew Aaron from high school. Neither of them ride their bikes on a regular basis, and they weren’t sure if they’d make it through the whole trip — it’s 18 miles from the park to Perkins, and another seven miles from Perkins to the high school — but they finished strong.

Leymarie said, “(Aaron) was one of my friends and I thought it would be good to come out and support him.”

“He was a very close part of my life,” said Bertanzetti. “I love him very much.”

She said the idea for documentary was “absolutely wonderful.”

“It was a great accomplishment and what not too many people could do,” she said.

Jarrett and Krebs continued to bring the focus back to their friend, as the project was truly for Aaron.

“Every pedal, every step of the way, was for Klinger,” Jarrett said.

Klinger’s friends and family welcomed Jarrett and Krebs with hugs and tear-filled thankyous.

The cross-country trip had originally been a plan that Jarrett and Klinger cooked up, their last hurrah before they entered “the real world.”

“We were just overwhelmed that they would still go ahead and do this all for him,” said Klinger’s sister, Tawnee Swartz.

Klinger’s young nephews held up signs saying “Thank you for riding for my Uncle Aaron.”

The number of bikers and supporters who joined the ride was a testimony to the love the community felt for the young man. Four members of his summer baseball team, the Northumberland Renegades, even joined the ride in their jerseys. This summer they added the initials “A.K.” to their sleeves in remembrance of their former teammate.

Jarrett told the crowd that Klinger’s death had given him a new appreciation for life.

“You treat every day a little better than the last,” he said.

Jarrett and Krebs’ next step is riding to the east coast, but first they’ll take a few days off to relax and spend time with family and friends.

Krebs said he has three plans for his days off: “Eat. Sleep. Be warm and cozy.”

To find out more about “For Aaron: The Documentary” or to make a donation, visit www.jtwofilms.com.