Community event to include honoring a hometown hero
By Heather Ruenz
Staff Writer
Lanesway is a foundation that was established last year by Lane Schweitzer’s family after he was tragically killed in a motorbike crash on March 27, 2019 at the age of 15.
Lane’s mom, Judy Schweitzer said Lane was full of life and in the short 15 years he had here on earth he touched many lives.
“He was our hero as he fought through a battle after suffering a traumatic brain injury in 8th grade,” she said.
The Elkhorn community and surrounding communities as well as friends and family offered a great deal of support to Lane and his family during the difficult journeys of both his brain injury and just a few years later, his untimely death.
Lanesway was established as a way to give back, Schweitzer said, to help support the community, further education and also support veterans and current military, the latter of which was a cause especially close to Lane’s heart.
He also loved his truck and the family found a way to tie Lane’s passions together for a community event.
The foundation will be hosting the Lanesway Car & Truck Show on Saturday, Sept. 12 at the Elkhorn Area High School from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. All vehicle types are welcome for the event. Pre-registration will be available on the website lanesway.org after July 1 and more details about the event will continue to be shared as they become available.
Among what’s already planned is that veterans and the victims and first responders from 9/11 will be honored. There’s a special reason those groups have been chosen, according to Schweitzer.
“This will be a very patriotic event so bring on the red, white and blue! Lane wanted to serve our country but would not have been able to after his traumatic brain injury. So, he honored our country anyway that he could, from shaking the hands of veterans wherever he saw them to thanking them for their service and donating to veterans’ organizations and causes,” she said.
There is another special honor planned for the Lanesway Car & Truck Show.
“We are looking to honor a hometown hero. Anyone who has a hero in their life is asked to submit a written letter about their hero and send it in,” Schweitzer said.
Letters nominating a hometown hero should be mailed no later than Aug. 1 to: Lanesway, N8420 Highway 12, Elkhorn, WI, 53121. There will be a panel of judges from the Elkhorn community that will review the nominations and choose a hero to be honored.
“If this car and truck show is successful we plan on making it an annual event so we can honor our heroes every year,” Schweitzer said.
She said they also welcome any businesses interested in helping out with the event including food and drink vendors.
“There will be no fee to be a vendor as the event will all be done through donations only. We want to support our local businesses and local vendors,” Schweitzer said.
Though more details will continue to be shared as the event gets closer, Schweitzer said she wanted to get the word out now so people can mark their calendars, sign up as a vendor and submit letters for the hometown hero honor that will take place.
“Lane lived through kindness everyday that he was here on earth,” Schweitzer said. “Giving back to others is a way for me to keep him alive because that’s who he was and how he lived.”
Anyone interested in joining as a vendor is asked to call Schweitzer at 262-745-1421 or send an email to lanesfullsend@gmail.com. For more information, visit lanesway.org.
