CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- When cavalryman Bryant Cyrus leads the charge into town on Saturday, it will be an iron horse he's riding.

Cyrus, a Charleston native, will join 100 members of the National Association of Buffalo Soldiers and Troopers Motorcycle Clubs in Charleston on Saturday to celebrate the black cavalry and infantry units that served after the Civil War.

"Many young people today idolize celebrities or rappers and entertainers, but they're not aware of the strength of black Americans of the past," Cyrus said. "Our mission is to go out and to educate people about the Buffalo Soldiers."

The Buffalo Soldier motorcycle association is the largest black motorcycle group in the world. It honors the first units of black soldiers, called Buffalo Soldiers, to serve in peacetime as well as wartime. The Buffalo Soldiers were known for campaigns through American Indian territory, Cyrus said.

"They were some of the most respected cavalry and infantry units of their time. They were chosen to escort dignitaries," Cyrus said. "They laid the groundwork for Colin Powell ... for where the military and integration is today."

The Buffalo Soldiers will help Simpson Memorial United Methodist Church on Shrewsbury Street kick off its 142nd anniversary celebration Saturday and tour a special exhibit at the Clay Center.

Following meetings with Gov. Joe Manchin and Mayor Roger Wolfe of Dunbar at 8 a.m., the motorcyclists will ride to the Clay Center at 2:30 p.m.

There they will view the Clay Center's exhibit, "For the Love of Liberty: The African Soldier 1866-1945" and visit with the public, said Anthony Kinzer of the West Virginia Center for African-American Arts and Culture. The exhibit will be open until Nov. 2. It costs $7 for adults and $5.50 for students.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- When cavalryman Bryant Cyrus leads the charge into town on Saturday, it will be an iron horse he's riding.

Cyrus, a Charleston native, will join 100 members of the National Association of Buffalo Soldiers and Troopers Motorcycle Clubs in Charleston on Saturday to celebrate the black cavalry and infantry units that served after the Civil War.

"Many young people today idolize celebrities or rappers and entertainers, but they're not aware of the strength of black Americans of the past," Cyrus said. "Our mission is to go out and to educate people about the Buffalo Soldiers."

The Buffalo Soldier motorcycle association is the largest black motorcycle group in the world. It honors the first units of black soldiers, called Buffalo Soldiers, to serve in peacetime as well as wartime. The Buffalo Soldiers were known for campaigns through American Indian territory, Cyrus said.

"They were some of the most respected cavalry and infantry units of their time. They were chosen to escort dignitaries," Cyrus said. "They laid the groundwork for Colin Powell ... for where the military and integration is today."

The Buffalo Soldiers will help Simpson Memorial United Methodist Church on Shrewsbury Street kick off its 142nd anniversary celebration Saturday and tour a special exhibit at the Clay Center.

Following meetings with Gov. Joe Manchin and Mayor Roger Wolfe of Dunbar at 8 a.m., the motorcyclists will ride to the Clay Center at 2:30 p.m.

There they will view the Clay Center's exhibit, "For the Love of Liberty: The African Soldier 1866-1945" and visit with the public, said Anthony Kinzer of the West Virginia Center for African-American Arts and Culture. The exhibit will be open until Nov. 2. It costs $7 for adults and $5.50 for students.

"They were heroes," Kinzer said. The exhibit is "mostly photographs and historic information about participants in the war. The material offers the viewer the chance to see black officers in their uniforms, showing the medals they achieved."

The Buffalo Soldiers will bring a few historical tools of their own. The riders dress in replica costumes and bring books, photos and other artifacts to help teach the history of their namesake.

At 6 p.m., the riders will go to Simpson Memorial United Methodist, Cyrus' home church, to celebrate its 142nd anniversary. The Buffalo Soldier visit is the beginning of a weeklong celebration for the church.

"It's a rebirth, reviving us. We want to do something to continue to keep the doors open, do more outreach in the community and let them in," said Mary Cyrus, Cyrus' mother.

The church is celebrating its past and future after voting earlier this year not to merge with other West Side churches. The visit from her son and the Buffalo Soldier riders will be a good outreach ministry, Mary Cyrus said.

Bryant Cyrus now lives near Camden, N.J., and joined the New Jersey chapter of the Buffalo Soldiers about a year ago. He invited his chapter to visit Charleston and word spread to riders in New York, Maryland, Rhode Island, Ohio and Kentucky.

"The streets are going to be filled. I guarantee Charleston has never seen over 100 black motorcyclists riding together," he said. "There is no West Virginia chapter. I'd like to see that happen in Charleston."

Reach Kellen Henry at khe...@wvgazette.com or 348-5179.