Over 700 students from the Tri-State community met at the flagpole to pray Wednesday as part of the annual event, See You at the Pole.

The event is sponsored locally by First Priority Tri-States and it encourages students to gather for prayer at their school’s flagpole to pray for their families, friends, churches, and their communities.

The event is typically held on the fourth Wednesday of September before school begins.

Pastors, parents and other adult leaders lend their support to the student’s efforts.

See You at the Pole grew from the initiative of a youth group in Texas during the early 90s.

In September 1990, more than 56,000 teenagers on more than 1,200 campuses participated in the first See You at the Pole event and the movement has continued to grow to become an international event.

First Priority Tri-States is encouraging the community to get involved in the upcoming Rock the Crater Ride to help raise funds and benefit First Priority.

The ride will be held next Saturday, Oct. 5, and will launch from East Cumberland Avenue parking lot at 9 a.m. The ride will run through the beautiful and scenic hills and hollows of Eastern Kentucky.

There are five route options. The Blue Route is a 10-mile run ride. The Red Route is a 21-mile ride, Orange Route is a 38-mile ride, Green Route is a 62-mile metric century ride, and White Route is a 101-century mile ride.

Ministry Director Emery Minton Jr. said that he would love to have the community support First Priority and if you want to support, you can contact them directly at staff@fpts.org or you can contact them through Facebook at FPTS1

“Anything that is done through the ride or through fundraising trickles down to the schools in order to be able to do more ministry,” he said.

To find out more about Rock the Crater Ride, you can visit www.iamathlete.com/event/rtc19 or call 865-585-8842.