SOLON– People cruising Main Street on Saturday, May 8, witnessed a menagerie of motorcycles and vehicles lining the street as a bright orange restored 1976 Pontiac Firebird sat, with the Pontiac logo on the grill replaced by No. 78, with the hood up in front of the Solon American Legion Stinocher Post 460.
It was the car Tanner Wymer purchased, in July of 2015, as a senior at Solon High School, before losing his life on Jan. 3, 2016, in a canoe accident on the Coralville Reservoir. The car has since become a trademark for the Tanner Wymer Anniversary Memorial Ride and the #Wymerstrong movement since Tanner’s passing.
The Tanner Wymer Anniversary Memorial Ride, resulted from Tanner’s untimely passing as a way for the community to come together to heal through the tragedy.
Marcy Wymer, Tanner’s mother, stated it best, calling the outpouring of involvement in the event an “amazing story of community spirit through tragedy.”
The ride’s goal, in its fifth year (delayed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic), was to raise funds for the Johnson County Dive Team to purchase communication equipment.
The Poker Run began at 9:45 a.m. on Saturday morning with “kickstands up” and proceeded to stops at the General Store Pub in Stone City; Teddy’s Barn and Grill in Amber; Victory Lane in Clarence; and Baxa’s Sutliff Bar and Grill at the Sutliff Bridge, before returning at roughly 5:30 p.m. to the Solon Legion.
The Anniversary Memorial Ride started with a goal of $6,000 and received financial boosts throughout the event, including a national infusion from another No. 78.
The Poker Run generated $766, with half going to the winner. The Poker Run winner was Tanner’s grandmother Mardene Gage, totaling $383, which she donated back to the fund, and a gift basket sponsored by Victory Lane, in Clarence, for a winning Full House of 7s and 8s.
Marcy Wymer noted, “Once again the love and affinity for No. 78 was present.”
Preorders for T-shirts and sweatshirts, as well as donations made on the Rage Grafix online store, yielded $1,080 toward the fundraiser.
Additional funds were accrued from a raffle held at the Legion.
“Tristan Wirfs, offensive right tackle for the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and former Mount Vernon Mustang and Iowa Hawkeye, graciously donated $6,000 to match our fundraising goal,” Brad Wymer, Tanner’s father, said. “He wanted to ensure the objective of purchasing the necessary communication equipment for the dive team could be met.”
Although unable to attend, Tristan Wirfs’ mother, Sarah Wirfs, was present throughout the evening.
Wirfs autographed his No. 78 Tampa Bay Buccaneers jersey, an NFL football and a Super Bowl LV Championship garden flag, all included in the raffle.
Wirf’s autographed jersey, the grand prize of the raffle, was presented in a shadow box frame, made and donated by craftsman Todd Nelson, of Solon. The lucky winner of the framed jersey was Nate Kennedy of Solon.
At the completion of the raffle, a few choice items from the raffle were donated back to the event by the winners and auctioned to the highest bidder. The autographed football brought $550 and the autographed Super Bowl Championship flag was sold three separate times, earning over $100 with each sale.
“Being a local athlete, Tristan and Tanner frequently competed against one another throughout junior high and high school,” Marcy Wymer explained. “They formed a friendship over their mutual love for competition and love of the sport.”
The number 78 has been linked to Wymerstrong since Tanner’s passing in 2016; however, Tristan had not worn the number until he became a Buccaneer. When Marcy asked Tristan if the jersey number had been assigned to him, he indicated he ‘chose it’ with a smile to suggest understanding the significance.
The event resulted in a presentation by Brad and Marcy Wymer, Sarah Wirfs, Jordan Wymer and Jordan’s fiancé Rylee Smith of a check totaling $15,840.88 to Meleah Droll and Jon Humston representing the Johnson County Metro Dive Team.
“The Tanner Wymer 5th Annual Memorial Ride and Raffle fundraiser was made possible only through donations from local businesses and individuals, and the generosity of all those who came out on Saturday to support the cause,” Brad and Marcy Wymer emphasized. “The Wymer family would like to thank the following donors for their raffle contributions leading to the success of this event: Ellison Insurance; Solon State Bank; Good Vibes Solon; Hawkeye Harley Davidson Coralville; Red Vespa; Auto Medic; Solon Feed Mill; Ruzicka’s; Big Grove Brewery; Ridgeway Dental North Liberty; Frida Kahlo; Solon Strong Nutrition; Advanced EyeCare Dr. Douglas Hand; Fitzpatrick Family Chiropractic; Culver’s Hiawatha, Cedar Rapids and Marion; The Empire Fitness; Casey’s; Integrity Financial Shelly Prybil; Stebral Construction; Damon and Carolin Walker; Gwen Melsha; Angie Stahle; Ned and Melissa Ashton; Briar Ridge Bikes; Lite Windows; Dairy Queen Solon; E&J Electric; Moxie and Mortar; Tin Roost North Liberty; and the Skarda and Huber Family.”
Although rumors abounded this might be the final memorial ride, Marcy Wymer dispelled the notion via email several days following the event.
“I also wanted to tell you this may not be the last you’ll hear from The Tanner Wymer Ride,” she wrote. “You never know when another community need will present itself that requires this magnitude of support.”

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Tanner Wymer’s dream car, a 1976 Pontiac Firebird, was on display during the Tanner Wymer Fifth Anniversary Memorial Ride, at the Solon American Legion.