‘Easy Rider’ showing kicks off Corey’s Cruise weekend
A weekend dedicated to honoring the memory of Corey Comperatore — the man who was fatally shot in the Donald Trump assassination attempt last year at the Butler Farm Show grounds — kicked off with a public screening of the 1969 movie “Easy Rider” at the Penn Theater in downtown Butler.
Corey’s surviving immediate family — wife Helen and daughters Kaylee and Allyson — were present. They had the best seats in the house in the Penn Theater’s balcony.
Just two days before the one-year anniversary of the shooting, Helen reflected on her family’s journey.
“This year it’s been hard to grieve because of the media and all the things interrupting our life,” Helen said. “We’ve been traveling constantly and doing things with the president, and we've had a hard time just grieving. That’s why we have the cruise. We want a day just to celebrate (Corey).”
While Helen played a large part in the planning of the larger “Corey’s Cruise” event taking place the following day, Helen said the “Easy Rider” screening was entirely the doing of Scott Docherty, owner of steel building manufacturer CID Associates.
“Scott planned this event and I love him to death,” Helen said. “He has done so much for this cruise and I honestly couldn’t thank the man enough.”
Docherty said the screening of “Easy Rider” — one of the defining movies of the 1960s — was an appetizer of sorts for the motorcycle rally the following day.
“If you grew up in my generation, we all watched ‘Easy Rider’ at a drive-in,” Docherty said. “If you're gonna have a motorcycle rally, you have to have ‘Easy Rider.’”
Not only did Scott plan the “Easy Rider” event, but his company, CID Associates, sponsored it.
“It started about six months ago,” said Jaloyn Fockler, executive director for the Penn Theater. “They were creating Corey's Cruise and we said we'd love to be a part and it would be a great honor for us to do so.”
“We’re just honored to have everyone here and to be able to show off the Penn and more so having the Comperatore family here and honoring them through this whole event.” said Bryan Frenchak, who has spearheaded the restoration of the Penn Theater in recent years.
Corey did have a strong connection to motorcycles, according to Helen.
“My husband had a dirt bike when I met him when he was 16 years old,” she said. “He had that for a while and then he sold it. Then he bought a motorcycle, and then he sold it to buy a boat.”
Proceeds from the screening, which sold tickets costing at least $35, will be directed toward a number of charitable causes under the umbrella of the Corey Comperatore Foundation. Additional money was raised through the sale of Corey Comperatore memorial merchandise and basket raffles.
“All the money is going to churches in need, first responders and doberman rescues, and I would also like to help veterans in need,” Helen said.
Amy Giles, who has multiple martial arts black belts and was one of the guest speakers for the Corey’s Cruise statue dedication in Saxonburg on Saturday, also stopped by to see “Easy Rider.”
“I'm from Central Illinois, so I'm looking to get to know everyone here in Pa.,” Giles said. “Scott and I met in Florida while we were both vacationing. Scott said he was looking for strong female speakers and that's how I came to be a part of this today.”
Prior to the showing of the movie, professional bagpiper Amanda McGregor played taps and Docherty gave a short speech about the ever-growing political divide in the United States and the need for unity.
“When Corey went to save someone’s life or someone’s house, he didn't ask what political party they were from. He was a servant to the community,” Docherty said. “He was a very religious man. He didn't ask if you were a Christian or an atheist. He was there to help people. This world is full of hate. We all see it each and every day. We need to make his life mean something.”
Following the speech, McGregor played taps once again, and the guests turned toward the Comperatore family seated in the balcony and waved miniature American flags in their direction.
