“What do you want to be?” Craig Bingham’s friend once asked him in a funny video as they sat in a restaurant with a group of their friends. “I want to be a legend!” Craig called out, to a chorus of laughter. But in the eyes of a whole lot of people, that is exactly what he became.
Any visitor to Willow Park on Saturday, June 1, most likely had their curiosity piqued by the dozens of sleek and shiny motorcycles parked in the south parking lot. Most probably turned their head at the torrential rumble as the riders took off together, passing by a man and a woman who silently cheered them on. Little did any passerby know, this was no ordinary ride they were witnessing.
This was the third annual “Wooz Cruise,” a combination of a dream come true and a very special memorial. On June 1st, 2022, Craig was fatally struck by a vehicle while doing the thing he loved more than anything else, riding his motorcycle. “That was his thing,” said Spencer Balentine, a close friend of Craig’s, “He was going to school for it and had just graduated.
His whole world was motorcycles.” Wanting to create a special celebration of life for his friend and knowing it was always a dream of Craig’s to organize a fun bike excursion for his friends to enjoy, Balentine organized a ride shortly after Craig’s death. It was christened “Wooz Cruise,” after Craig’s high school nickname, “Woozy.
” Balentine did not originally intend for Wooz Cruise to become a tradition, but the s.