LEWISTON – Bike 2 Demilitarize, a yearly community event initiated after the invasion of Iraq, is set to embark on its third annual 72-mile trek from Bath to Kennebunkport.

This year’s ride is set to take place Saturday, May 7, beginning at 8 a.m. and ending about 7 p.m. The goal is to articulate the problems of economic dependence on jobs based in the military-industrial complex, organizers say.

Along with protesting the U.S. occupation of Iraq, organizers say the ride protests oil addiction, war profiteering and corporate free trade, and supports bikes, good jobs, diverse and sustainable economies, and communities exercising their dissent in creative ways.

The ride will begin at Bath Iron Works. Owned by General Dynamics, BIW builds Navy ships, including Aegis-class destroyers. From there, riders will continue to the Brunswick Naval Air Station, arriving at 9:30 a.m.. The base serves as a port for Trident nuclear submarines and a base for naval surveillance of Maine’s coastal waters.

The next stop will be NBC’s offices in Portland at 2:30 p.m. Organizers hope to draw attention to what they say is the media’s role in perpetuating fear and endorsing war through propaganda and biased coverage. The event’s organizers point out that NBC is owned by General Electric, also the owner of Westinghouse, one of the largest weapons manufacturers in the country.

Next, participants will ride to the General Dynamics weapons manufacturing site in Saco, arriving at 4:15 p.m. The final stop of the day will be at the Bush family compound in Kennebunkport, at 7 p.m.