Well, with all
the problems to overcome this Ride turned
out pretty darn good!
I left my home in Le Claire, IA at 9:15am. The weather was
45 degrees with 30mph gusts and only promising a high in the
50s. Oh, and did I mention the RAIN? Not the kind of day I
would normally want to leave my warm dry house and get my
clean Bike all messed up. But this was the Saturday members
of the Bi-State Motorcycle Awareness Council (BSMAC)
and respective organizations have worked all year for.
As I crossed the cold, wet windy I-80 bridge I thought to
myself. That Moline Police Chief who has tried so hard to
stop this event from happening must have made a deal with
the Devil to get this weather. But the show will go on.
The rain had stopped by the time I reached the Rock Island
County Fair Grounds, this years starting point for the 24th
Annual Ride. The only other member there was BSMAC
President Mike John who was talking on his cell phone.
After he hung up he looked at me and said he had just been
informed by the manager of the concessions for the grand
stand, that due to no help, he would not be opening! Well
damn, what next I thought. We had planned on using the
grand stand for its rest rooms and a way to get out of the
weather if need be. We both pondered the situation for
awhile when Mike said maybe the car auction business can
help with the concessions? The ACAA , Avenue of the
Cities Auto Auction, occupies a building on the fair grounds
and offers concessions to their customers. Mike has worked
with them before on other matters and thought they might be
able to help. When we explained the situation to them they
said they already had planned on selling coffee and donuts
and would be thrilled to help. As it turned out they made a
horrible situation into an overwhelming success. They not
only sold concessions and offered rest rooms but moved
vehicles around opening a bay for us to use and even
provided tables. It couldn't have been any better. We were
able to handle registrations and other business in a dry
pleasant atmosphere. A big thank you to the staff at
Damon's Cars and Classics and the ACAA.
Something different this year were having representatives
present from the Putnam Museum in Davenport, Iowa.
They were handing out information about an exhibit opening
in June called Rare Rides, America's Love Affair With
Motorcycles. They even have a opening day Ride planned
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ending at the museum. To RSVP and info about attending the
ride call Lynn at 800-747-7800 ext 104.
www.putnam.org/exhibits.html
Steve
and Jennifer Rosales form the Rosales Insurance
Agency in East Moline, Illinois set up a table where riders
could register for prizes and get information on insurance.
They also promoted Allstate's new web site called the Allstate
Garage where you can find an agent, get a quote, plan a ride,
and even build a bike. It's pretty cool!
www.allstategarage.com/
It seems Allstate wants to work with
and for motorcyclists. Give Jen a call or e-mail her
http://agent.allstate.com/jrosales/welcome/
By the time the anthem, prayers and speakers were finished
the clouds were breaking up revealing blue sky and sunshine.
The weather, though still windy, had definitely improved.
The police escorted parade was orderly and moved at a steady
pace. To my knowledge, there were no gaps or problems.
The crowds that gathered on the route to watch the
motorcycles go by were supportive and seemed to enjoy this
so called inconvenience. That's how the parade has been
described by some city employees.
The ride concluded at Davenport, Iowa's West High School,
where the booster club again offered some excellent pork chop
sandwiches, brats and hot dogs. Gery Schemel of GMAX
Productions, www.gmaxpro.com
provided the sound system
and tunes both before and after the ride. A very active member
of our community, Gery has his hands in about every
motorcycle venue around. He also is slated to be the host of a
new radio talk show in June on WCCI 100.3 FM in Savanna,
IL. The program is called the Free Ride Radio Show.
We'll
all have to tune in. Good luck Gery.
www.wcciradio.com
Well the official counter, Rusty Harmening, said there were 179
motorcycles that left the fair grounds in East Moline. It certainly
would be nice if there had been more, but I think it was a pretty
good showing considering the way the day started. I want to
thank everyone who attended or in any way helped in putting
this event together. I look forward to next year and the 25th
Annual Bi-State Motorcycle Awareness Ride. See ya there!
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