Harley-Davidson of Erie is getting ready for a big move this summer. The dealership, currently at 4575 West Ridge Road in Millcreek Township, will relocate to a new location at 3712 West 12th Street, just on the other side of the Erie International Airport. The move will take place July 5, and the dealership will hold its grand opening in conjunction with the Roar on the Shore rally July 19-21. Besides the showroom and service department, the building, formerly a Quality Markets supermarket, will include a classroom with an outdoor training course for motorcycle safety classes, a meeting room for the Erie H.O.G. chapter, a customer lounge and a storage area where customers can store their bikes and other powersports vehicles in the offseason… I recently learned that racing promoter Pete Giammalvo, 52, from Westminster, Massachusetts, passed away on December 27 after suffering a stroke. Pete was a dirt-track racer in his younger years until he was paralyzed from the waist down in a diving accident. Wanting to stay involved with racing, he formed Sideways Promotions, spending the rest of his years promoting races and helping to keep the sport of flat-track racing alive in New England. I met Pete some years ago at the half-mile track at Rochester where he put on flat-track races during Laconia Motorcycle Week. Pete mentored many young riders including Aaron Creamer and Kenny Coolbaugh who went on to become professional racers. Pete’s unflagging dedication to the sport and generous nature will be sorely missed… Appalachian Harley-Davidson in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, hosted the annual Appalachian Ride United on May 19. More than 150 riders participated in the scavenger hunt, collecting items to trade in for prizes. The event raised $5,000 for United Way of Carlisle and Cumberland Counties… On June 3, over 2,000 motorcyclists participated in the 22nd annual Operation God Bless America Motorcycle Ride in support of America’s veterans. The ride started in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, continued through Maryland and ended at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Martinsburg, West Virginia. A total of $32,000 was raised for patients of the VA center, allowing for the purchase of items that can’t be bought with federal funds. About $450,000 has been raised since the ride started in 1991… On April 29, more than 1,400 riders turned out for the 2nd annual Wounded Vet Ride. The fundraiser was created by U.S. Marine Corporal Andrew DelRossi Biggio from Winthrop, Massachusetts, to purchase special equipment for vets who come home maimed and cannot afford to modify their homes to accommodate their disabilities. The ride began with a 21-gun salute at the starting point, Boston Harley-Davidson in Everett, Massachusetts, and ended at Italian-American War Veterans Post 6 in East Boston. After the ending ceremony, a block party was held in nearby Maverick Square. This year’s ride was in honor of Marine Cpl. Evan Reichenthal of Princeton, Massachusetts, and Marine Cpl. Greg Caron of Ellington, Connecticut, both of whom were severely injured while serving in Afghanistan. The estimated $80,000 that was raised will benefit Reichenthal and Caron. Corporal DelRossi Biggio was also awarded a citation issued by the Massachusetts State Senate for his tireless efforts in supporting his fellow veterans. The award was coordinated by the Massachusetts Motorcycle Association during its 11th annual Storm the State House legislative lobby day on May 17… The Streets of Fire MC out of Newark, New Jersey, held its inaugural Poker Run May 20. The run started at Adams Beer Garden in Rockaway, New Jersey, taking a nice, easy loop (for those of us who live in the area, that is) around upper Morris and lower Sussex Counties. Riders returned to Adams for food, music and door prizes. Streets of Fire MC is known for the Elvis Run they’ve put on every September for two decades, but SOFMC President Shannon McTighe told me that the club felt they wanted to do more for charity. The event raised $1,500 for the Wounded Warrior Project… In the week before Memorial Day, Operation We Care, a Delmarva-area volunteer group, coordinated the packing and delivery of 365 care packages to the Ocean City, Maryland, post office for shipment to our military serving overseas. In the five years since Operation We Care has been in existence, it has sent 2,401 packages. The next “packing event” will be held in early November. Donations are accepted year-round at Minuteman Press in Salisbury, Maryland, and Seaford Harley-Davidson in Seaford, Delaware. For more information, visit www.operationwecare.org… The Motorcyclepedia Museum in Newburgh, New York, held its first motorcycle auction on May 19. About 170 bikes, some dating back to 1912 and two-thirds older than 1965, were put on the auction block. More than 1,500 people attended, with minimum bids from $1,500 to over $125,000. Only about half the motorcycles sold, but MidAmerica Auctions President Ron Christenson said, “We’re in it for the long haul.” The museum plans to make the auction a repeat event… Chris Hudak, marketing and promotions manager at Barb’s H-D, writes, “On April 21, Barb’s Harley-Davidson in Mt. Ephraim, New Jersey was host to hundreds of the Latin American Motorcycle Association members for the Vineland chapter’s annual Trophy Party. Harlistas partied at the South Jersey dealership and enjoyed a feast of Hispanic foods and cold beer and danced up a storm in the big lot, normally reserved for weekend riding classes. LAMA members from many other East Coast chapters attended, including Harrisburg, Bethlehem and Philadelphia, New York City, D.C., Western and East Central Massachusetts, and Newark, New Jersey. Not to be outdone, the Philadelphia chapter also held their annual party at Barb’s H-D on June 9, with Mario Nieves, LAMA founder and international president, in attendance.”
