Since we haven’t had a winter this year, the spring rides have come and gone without much hoopla. Hope everyone had a great time at Arizona Bike Week, and also at the Laughlin River Run. These are both traditional must-do rides, so I hope everyone got back safely with a gaggle of stories to tell. And there’s still plenty more to come during May, so how ’bout I kick it off with one sent to me by Garden Grove’s own Frank Waldrop: The 1st annual Cinco De Mayo Car & Bike Show on May 4 at the Garden Grove Alano Club, located at 9845 Belfast Drive in GG. There will be raffles, a 50/50 and music by DJ Frank Joe. This affair starts at noon and, if Frank’s involved, it’ll be fun!… Congrats to the big winner of Valley V-Twin’s End-of-Season Sucky Biker Bowling League’s 50/50, Janice Post, who took home an accrued pot of $200—not too shabby for bowling badly!… ABATE Local 1’s Steve Broughton tells me more than 100 people showed up for this year’s Polar Bear Ride, and that it was a great ride with perfect weather… He also asked me to mention this year’s ABATE Regional Rally on May 11–13 in Victorville at the Shady Oasis Kampground, located at 16530 Stoddard Wells Rd. Check out the website www.abatesrr.com for details too numerous to mention in my little space. Just know that this is always a low-key, fun event where all makes and all riders are welcome. This year’s event marks their 20th!… We’re all invited to join San Gabriel H.O.G. for a Blood Drive at the City of Hope on May 11 from 8:00–5:00 p.m… Here’s some Thursday bike nights for all of you: Laguna Hills Cycle Gear Bike Night, 23052 Lake Forest Drive; Original Mike’s, 100 S. Main Street in Santa Ana from 7:00–11:00 p.m.; Malarkey’s Grill, 168 N. Marina Drive, Long Beach 6:00–9:00 p.m.; Bike Night on the Bay, 168 N Marina Drive, Long Beach 6:00–9:00 p.m.; Haute Cakes Caffe European Bikes, 1807 Westcliff Drive in Newport at 7:00 p.m. (sounds a little chi-chi, but what the heck; let’s give it a go); and Knowlwood’s Vintage Bike Nite, 5665 La Palma in Anaheim, 7:00 p.m… May brings quite a few birthday wishes for lots of readers and friends: Hank Eylicia, hope your May birthday is a good one. Same for Tom Mennig and Richard Heller! Peggy Boyar in Albuquerque, here’s a toast for your birthday—hope your day is awesome! Danny Bagley, you have a fun day, too! Mitch Bergeron (of Biker Build-Off fame), you have a cool birthday, too! Maricruz Trevino, hope you have a great birthday, girlfriend! ABATE 19’s own Lynette Snyder is celebrating a birthday in early May; hope it’s a good one… The CREW’s Dave Gedigian is also having a birthday this month. I have no doubt Tami and your daughters will have something special planned! Mike Reese, also of the CREW, is celebrating his birthday on the same day as Dave. And right at the end of the month—Bob Ewing, hope your day is peachy!… Joe Andrade, hope you have a fun day, too… I’m bummed I missed “Big Daddy” Bob Laidlaw’s 83rd birthday last month, but Laidlaw’s had a grand celebration without me… And last for my bestie, Halle Fetty of Valley V-Twin, happy birthday, my friend! I hope your day is fabulous!… Sporty, glad to hear your next operation on your leg is turning out OK, thanks, Steve Broughton for mentioning it to me… Don and Sharron Berry, I am so sorry for your loss. I know your son Chad will be missed by all who knew him… May is Motorcycle Awareness Month, so when you see those overhead signs asking drivers to look twice, thank an ABATE member; they’re the ones responsible for getting us an actual month of recognition… May also brings us the Run for the Wall and Armed Forces Day, so there’s a ton of stuff for us to do out in the riding world, isn’t there?… I’m not a mom, so I have no vested interest, but Happy Mother’s Day all you moms! This year it’s just my two moms-in-law. Willie just turned 90, and I gotta say, she sure hasn’t changed a bit—seems like she still looks the same as when we first met back in 1988! What a great mom, as is my other mom, Violet! Thankful to have them, and I’m hoping all of you out there are happy to still have yours, too. That’s it for me this month. You all enjoy your ride!
