There’s a new tattoo tour in town! The East Coast Tattour 2012 kicks off during this year’s Laconia Motorcycle Week. It’ll take place Wednesday, June 13 through Sunday, June 16 at the Lake Opechee Inn & Spa Conference Center. I hear that about 70 tattoo artists have signed on for the tour, which will also include tattoo contests, performance art by Show Devils, the Pretty Things Peepshow, several musical groups and an art auction. The Lake Opechee Inn & Spa is across the street from the train station in downtown Laconia. (You can take the train from The Weirs directly to the Tattour!) Check out www.eastcoasttattour2012.com for more info… On Sunday, April 29, SideSho Bob Motorcycle Repair and Service held its inaugural Dust Off and BBQ (as in “dust off your bike or hot rod and get ready for the riding season”). SideSho Bob opened the business last fall, and this event doubled as the shop’s grand opening. It’s located at 8 Greenwood Lake Turnpike in Ringwood, New Jersey, so stop by and see how Bob can attend to your motorcycle’s needs. For more info, including upcoming events, search for SideShoBob Kustoms on Facebook… I heard a cool story about New Windsor, New York, resident Leonard Baur who tried to break the record of riding solo cross-country on a motorcycle. In May 1969 he set out on a Shovelhead fitted with a beer keg as a gas tank! He didn’t set a new record, but made it from New York to Los Angeles nonetheless. A replica of Baur’s bike is on exhibit at the Motorcyclepedia Museum in Newburgh, New York. If you happen to meet the man, he’s got some fascinating tales to tell… The American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation has announced 26 nominees for the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. Among the 2012 nominees are Supercross and motocross champion Jimmy Ellis, born in Middletown, Connecticut; the late Don Pink, a racer who founded the New York State Dealers Association; the late Al Wilcox, an AMA flagman from New Jersey; and my friend Gloria Struck, a motorcycling ambassador and Motor Maids member since 1946. The Hall of Fame “Class of 2012” will be announced this summer with the induction taking place in November… Smaltz’s Harley-Davidson in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, sends its sympathies to longtime shop foreman Gary Slifer and his family. Gary’s wife Janet passed away after a five-year battle with cancer. Dealership family and friends gathered at Smaltz’s on April 21 to ride to her funeral services. Janet was a true motorcycle enthusiast who traveled through 40 states with her husband. Donations in Janet’s memory can be sent to The American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 22718, Oklahoma City, OK 73123; The Cancer Center at Chester County Hospital: www.cchosp.com/OnlineGiving.asp; or the SPCA CCSPCA, 1212 Phoenixville Pike, West Chester, PA 19380… Greenland, New Hampshire, Police Chief Michael Maloney was shot and killed April 12 while serving a warrant. The chief, who was also a motorcycle officer, gave his life rescuing one wounded officer and providing three other officers with cover. The New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police and the Hundred Club awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously to the chief’s wife, Peg. On April 19, hundreds of police officers joined the 1.4-mile funeral procession on motorcycles, horses and on foot, while thousands of spectators lined the streets. The 48-year-old chief, an Army veteran, was only eight days from retirement at the time of his death. Believe it or not, scam artists are trying to profit from his death by soliciting donations for his family. The only authentic memorial fund has been set up by the NH Association of Chiefs of Police. To contribute, a check can be made out to the Michael Maloney Family Trust, c/o Optima Bank, 2 Harbour Place, Portsmouth, NH 03801… In September 2009, Dover, New Jersey, residents David and Linda Kubert were riding their Harley when they were struck by a pickup truck driven by Wharton resident Kyle Best. The Kuberts each lost a leg, suffered other serious injuries and had to undergo several surgeries. Best pled guilty to three motor vehicle summonses—using a hand-held cell phone while driving, careless driving and failure to maintain a lane. Criminal charges were not pursued, and the civil court ordered Best to speak at 14 high schools about the dangers of cell phone use while driving. The Kuberts have also been pushing for stronger distracted driving laws in New Jersey… Aidan Jack Seeger, the seven-year-old brother of Sienna Seeger and son of Bobby and Elisa (owners of Indian Larry Motorcycles and Genuine Motorworks in Brooklyn, New York), passed away on April 29. Just over a year ago, Aidan had been diagnosed with adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), a rare disorder leading to progressive brain damage, failure of the adrenal glands and eventual death. On July 21 of last year, his seventh birthday, he received a bone marrow transplant. He had been undergoing treatment since the transplant and bravely fighting the good fight, but tragically the disease took his life. Bobby and Elisa are advocating for ALD screening for all newborns, as the condition is often misdiagnosed and not discovered until it’s too late for a transplant or effective treatment. Please honor Aidan’s life by sending a donation to the Kennedy Krieger Foundation, 707 North Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21205, Attn: Dr. Gerald Raymond. Dr. Raymond has dedicated his life to research for ALD. Godspeed, Aidan, and my deepest sympathies to the Seeger family.
