Every August, thousands of cyclists make their way across Massachusetts to raise money for cancer research. And every year, Cherry Street in Wrentham becomes one of the loudest, most welcoming spots on the entire route.

The Pan-Mass Challenge, known as the PMC, is an annual bike ride that has raised more than $1.1 billion for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute since it began in 1980. According to the PMC, it raises more money for charity than any other single athletic fundraising event in the country. One hundred percent of all rider-raised funds go directly to Dana-Farber.

This year's ride takes place the first weekend in August.

A street that grew Into a tradition

The Cherry Street celebration traces back to 1980, the first year of the PMC. That year, Donna Lee Dunn's mother was fighting cancer. Two riders stopped to chat with her. One of them, Jaime Schier of Hudson, leads a team called FORZA-G. He has carried a photo of Donna Lee's mother on every ride since. He includes her photo in his thank-you notes to donors. Every year, he and his team stop on Cherry Street to say hello.

In the mid-1980s, James Dunn installed about a dozen flags on the telephone poles along the street. Over the years, that number has grown to roughly 40 flags. Team FORZA-G now helps put the flags up in May and takes them down in November. In some years, red ribbons have been tied around the trees as well.

Over time, the entire street got involved. Donna Lee described it as all hands on deck on ride day, including a neighborhood picnic to wrap up the afternoon.

Music, energy, and a wave of riders

Live music is part of what makes Cherry Street stand out. Two groups have been performing there for years: Loud Steel is a steel drum band formed by Ryan Loud, a former percussion specialist at King Philip Regional High School, and the Colonial Pipers Bagpipe Band is a youth bagpipe and drum group that practices in Norwood.

Ericka Flaherty, a Wrentham resident who joined Loud Steel around 2018, described what it's like on the street when the riders come through. The band sets up around 7 a.m. just after the turn from West Street onto Cherry Street. The riders flow through in waves and the excitement on the street gives them a surge of energy.

Crowd favorites include selections from a Harry Belafonte catalog featured in Tim Burton's 1988 film Beetlejuice and a Bob Marley medley that includes "One Love" and "Buffalo Soldier." Flaherty said the PMC is such a special event that the entire band looks forward to it every year.

A Wrentham family's story

For Josh Person, Cherry Street is a special place and it's a road he rides past regularly. He estimated he rides it about 100 times a year.

Josh, a Wrentham resident, has a deep personal connection to the PMC. He shared that his mother, Barbara, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999. In 2004, Josh, Jamie (his wife), and Eric (his brother) rode the PMC. His mother's condition worsened that summer and training for the PMC was a great way for them to clear their heads during a difficult time. His mother passed away on August 5, two days before the PMC. His father reminded them that Mom wanted them to ride, no matter what.

August 7, 2004, was a wonderful day: they were exhausted when they rode into Bourne together but also exhilarated that they had accomplished the ride under the circumstances.

Josh's father later passed from cancer in 2024.

In 2024, Josh's son Matt began riding as well. Now on his fourth ride, Matt and his father are riding the full two-day route: College of the Holy Cross in Worcester to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Bourne on August 1, then Bourne to Provincetown, roughly 177 miles in total.

Matt said his father and uncle inspired him to get involved. He was struck by what he saw on the road: many riders are cancer survivors themselves. Their presence, he said, is a direct reminder of what the fundraising makes possible. He also noted the scale of the event: riders come from nearly every state and multiple countries. Donations, he said, are having a direct and significant impact on cancer research.

How to support the PMC

The PMC ride takes place August 1-2. Riders, volunteers, and donors can learn more and contribute at pmc.org.

Those who want to cheer riders are welcome on Cherry Street on Saturday, August 1. Riders typically start coming through around 7:30 a.m. and finish before noon.