PORT ANGELES — Mason Ziegler was the kind of person you could always depend on.
“He was the counselor to all his friends,” said Tami Ziegler, who is organizing a memorial scholarship benefit for her son’s graduating class. “He was the kid that everybody turned to.”
The Port Angeles High School honor student died last August in a motorcycle accident on the Oregon Coast. He was 16.
The Mason Ziegler Memorial Scholarship Benefit on Saturday, July 6, will raise money for a scholarship to be awarded to one of Mason’s peers in the Class of 2014, the incoming senior class.
The benefit will take place at four venues in and around Port Angeles. It will feature a street bike run, vintage bike show, motocross grand-prix, 5K and 10K walk-and-run, spaghetti feed and silent auction.
All proceeds will be awarded to the recipient of the Mason Ziegler Memorial Scholarship.
“We haven’t set up any boundaries yet as far as the scholarship goes,” Tami Ziegler said.
“I do know that it will not be based on the most athletic and the most scholared student.”
Kelly Ziegler, Mason’s father, said the scholarship is “probably going to focus more, I would assume, on integrity.”
“That’s what he was about,” he said, adding that his son was “easygoing” and “got along with everybody.”
Mason was an avid motorcyclist and competitive racer who loved to ride with his brother, Daelan, at the Olympic Peninsula Motorcycle Club track east of Port Angeles.
The motocross grand-prix and practice will take place at the club, 1306 Deer Park Road, beginning at 10 a.m. July 6. Donations will be accepted as an entry fee.
Also at 10 a.m., street riders and motorcycle enthusiasts will gather at Port Angeles Power Equipment, 2624 E. U.S. Highway 101, for the bike run and vintage bike show. Prizes will be drawn at 3 p.m.
Registration begins at 9 a.m. at Port Angeles Power Equipment. The cost is $15 per rider and $10 per passenger.
Meanwhile, the 5K and 10K walk-and-run will begin at 2 p.m. at Port Angeles City Pier. The cost is $25.
Registrations and donations are being accepted online at www.masonzieglermemorial.wildapricot.org.
“Not everybody rides motorcycles, so we wanted to try to pull the community together by having a walk and a run in his honor,” Tami Ziegler said.
The spaghetti feed and silent auction will take place at the Vern Burton Community Center, 308 E. Fourth St., from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The cost of the spaghetti feed is $10 per person or $5 for kids 12 and younger. A $5 discount is available for those who purchase a ticket to another event in the benefit.
Presale tickets for the spaghetti feed and silent auction can be purchased at Strait-View Credit Union, 220 S. Lincoln St., or at Hair Solutions, 1112 E. Front St.
A Mason Ziegler Memorial Fund is set up at Strait-View Credit Union.
Tami Ziegler said she has a “small army” of volunteers to assist with the scholarship benefit.
“Four events in one day is pretty ambitious,” she said.
“There’s kind of a staggered time frame so that we can get to each event and see kind of each event off.”
Tami Ziegler said she wanted to provide a scholarship to one of Mason’s classmates because he was “a big part of Port Angeles High School.”
“He didn’t judge anyone,” she added.
“He was friends to all.”
———————-
Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
