(KNZA)--The annual Pony Express re-ride is underway and the riders will pass through the local area Saturday before reaching their final designation in St. Joseph, Missouri.

By horse and rider relays commemorative letters and personal mail are being carried 1,966 miles through eight states to celebrate the Pony Express mail service that operated from April 1860 to November 1861.  

The first rider left Old Sacramento, California on June 20th, and the last rider is to arrive at the Patee House Museum in St. Joseph Saturday evening.

The riders are to make stops in Marysville, Seneca and Horton for about 15 minutes, giving people a chance to meet and visit with them.   The re-ride is scheduled to arrive in Marysville around 2:15 Saturday morning; Seneca,  around 9:15 in the morning and Horton, around 2:15 in the afternoon.

In Seneca, a fund-raiser breakfast will be served at the Pony Express Museum, beginning at 7:30 Saturday morning, and the museum will be open for visitors from 7:30 to 2:00.

600 riders are taking part in the re-ride conducted by the National Pony Express Association.  Riding relays of 1 to 5 miles, they take turns transporting a mail filled mochila.