During the 36th annual Tomahawk Factory Open House and Fall Ride in Wisconsin September 13–17, over $117,000 was raised to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association. This brings the total to over $2 million that has been raised during the ride for MDA since 1981. The money helps support individuals and families in Wisconsin’s Northwoods area… On Aug 7, 2016, Royce Rath from Alaska was at the Buffalo Chip during the Sturgis Rally. Roland Sands rode a new Indian motorcycle onto the stage for the unveiling. There were no front brakes on the Indian and it rolled off the stage landing on Royce and a few others. He has filed a lawsuit against Sands, Polaris Industries (the owners of Indian Motorcycles), and Buffalo Chip Campground. No responses have been filed yet… After 15 months Todd Frederick of Indianapolis, Indiana, received a letter from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles informing him the motorcycle training course he took in July of 2016 was fake. He is facing a possible felony for lying, as well as having his license suspended for 90 days. He and others attended what they thought was an ABATE of Indiana class, paid $200 and got certificates. The instructor did not live in the state; he took the money and ran… Ambre Brings of Mazomanie, Wisconsin, was selling a motorcycle. A man came to look at it, borrowed a helmet and never returned. The G6 he left was stolen from his girlfriend in one state, a Great Dane puppy in the back seat was stolen from a home in Illinois, and the plates were stolen in Iowa. They found the guy a few days later in Waterloo, Iowa. He has been charged with second-degree theft, driving without a license and providing false identification information. The puppy named “Blue” was returned to his owner… The 18th annual Victory for Veterans Memorial Ride in September raised over $72,000 for veterans in Highland, Indiana. Over 2,350 motorcycles took a 27-mile loop from Wicker Memorial Park and back. From only 50 motorcycles the first year this ride is now one of the largest in the state. Money raised goes to the area’s Habitat for Humanity veteran’s builds, homes in Hessville for homeless vets, and to Empowering Patriots, an organization that provides service dogs to vets with PTSD… In Minnesota, Fergus Falls Veterans Home received a donation of $33,250.17 from the Boots on the Ground Veterans Fall Fun Run to boost their recreation fund. The money has helped increase outings for the veterans at the home, bringing in musical acts, providing supplies to finish a greenhouse project and seed money to purchase a new bus for the home. Darchy Soland, co-chair of Boots on the Ground, said their mission statement includes “God bless our veterans past and present”… Leroy “Mike” Minlschmidt of Grand Chute, Wisconsin, a World War II veteran and 21-year career soldier, celebrated his 101st birthday in style, with a ride in a sidecar provided by Joshua Doughty, president of Appleton Harley-Davidson. Mike got to feel the wind in his hair which reminded him of the times he and his wife used to travel the country aboard their Harley. Members of the Wisconsin Patriot Guard Riders were also on hand to present Mike with a plaque to recognize his military service… That’s it for this month; it’s all about you, the Midwest biker. Ride fast, but ride safe.
