Riding for Corey: Memorial cruise, concert celebrate fallen firefighter’s legacy

Corey’s Cruise, an all-day memorial event for Buffalo Township firefighter Corey Comperatore, is set to hit the road Saturday ahead of a concert in West Deer.

The event marks a year since Comperatore was shot and killed during the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump at a political rally in Butler County.

According to the event’s social media coordinator, Melissa Kelley, the day will begin with a two-hour motorcycle cruise throughout Butler and Allegheny counties before stopping at No Offseason Sports in West Deer for a show featuring several speakers and musicians.

In total, the event will run from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The proceeds from the event, Kelley said, will go toward first responders, local churches and Doberman dog rescues.

A church-going volunteer firefighter with a love of Dobermans, each of the charities commemorate important aspects of her father’s life, according to Comperatore’s daughter, Kaylee.

“It’s a day of unity,” Kelley said. “It’s not a political thing. We just want people to come together and honor the life and continue Corey’s legacy.”

The event, Kaylee said, was the brainchild of Comperatore’s step-brother, Steve Warheit, and Warheit’s boss, Scott Docherty. Initially, the two conceived it solely as a motorcycle cruise, one of Comperatore’s hobbies.

But after country singer Gary Burk III, a Butler County native, became involved, Kaylee said her family decided to take the event a step further.

In addition to Burk, five other singers are set to take the stage at No Offseason.

According to Comperatore’s elder daughter, Allyson, the cruise will feature several locations significant to Comperatore’s life. The ride begins at his alma mater, Freeport Area High School and passes the Comperatore home and the former fire chief’s church.

Kaylee, Allyson and their mother, Helen, are among the speakers set to take the stage between musical acts in the afternoon. Allyson plans to thank the people who helped the family grieve throughout the past year and those who came out to honor her father.

“We’re expecting a really great turnout, but I think we’ve all talked about it and accepted that whether there’s 20 people or 5,000 people, it’s going to be a beautiful day,” Kaylee said.

The Comperatores will also introduce the event headliner, Burk, who said he plans to close his set with “Until We Meet Again,” a song he wrote with the family in honor of Corey.

Burk said he used Comperatore’s eulogy to compose the ballad, which also features vocals from Kaylee and Allyson.

The set, he said, will be followed by a volley of fireworks.

“I’m hoping we can fill the place up and honor an amazing man who gave his life for his family,” Burk said.

After the first iteration on Saturday, Allyson said her family hopes to make the cruise an annual event to commemorate her father. In the future, she said she hopes it will grow to expand the amount that the family is able to donate to local causes.

Though the event falls on a difficult anniversary for her family, Kaylee said planning the cruise had given the Comperatores purpose throughout the last year.

“I think there will definitely be a lot of emotion, but I think there will also be a lot of joy, too,” Kaylee said. “We’ve spent the last year grieving and being sad; we just want to celebrate him and have this be a happy day.”