Barb’s Harley-Davidson is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and on Saturday, October 27, Barb and her staff are throwing a big party to mark the occasion. Through October 12, when you visit the dealership on Black Horse Pike in Ephraim, New Jersey, you can register to win one of 25 prizes, including a new 2012 XL883L Superlow. The birthday bash will feature a bike show, music, food, fashion show, wheelie machine, custom pinstriper and autograph and photo sessions with Mike Quick, former Eagles wide receiver… THUNDER PRESS contributor Cris Dopher, a.k.a. Brooklyn, writes: “It’s amazing the number of bikers I’ve met who are also long-distance cyclists. There seems to be an innate connection there beyond just being on two wheels. Perhaps, since we’re all fighting cages and wayward pedestrians together, there’s something of the shared warrior spirit among us. And one of the lessons of long-distance riding either way is that the fitter you are, the easier long days in the saddle are. One of the things that works against my own fitness is my cystic fibrosis. For a long time, I managed OK, doing treatments and running daily on long trips. But CF is a disease that eventually kills its victims. We can stave off end-stage, however, by staying active and physically fit. But 40 years on, my lung function is 1/3 normal and my recreational options are dwindling. Recently, my coughing fits began to trigger periodic blackouts. I can’t risk that on a motorcycle at speed, for obvious reasons. So, I now ride a bicycle. I can hit 40 mph, and I still get that feeling of flying I had on the motorcycle. On September 23, I’ll be riding for a cause: to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation riding the Aptalis Cycle for Life. I’m asking people to contribute to the fundraiser by offering a premium—reprints of my art photography from my trip to Venice and Florence. If you’d like to get in on the action, you can donate to my fundraising campaign through the end of October. Put in $25 or more and I’ll mail you a 5×7 reprint of your choice. If you give $100 or more, I’ll send an 8×10. When you donate, be sure to include your name and address. My Aptalis Cycle for Life page is at tinyurl.com/dopher-cycle-for-life, and to view the photo album go to tinyurl.com/brooklyns-black-and-white. The future holds a lot of promise for all people with CF, given the exciting research taking place. But that research depends on funding. For now, I’m endeavoring, both literally and metaphorically, to keep the rubber side down.”… Fred Carter, a native of Old Town, Maine, and current resident of Petersburg, Virginia, was diagnosed with stage-four stomach cancer last fall. In keeping with his philosophy of “life is good; live it well,” Fred and his wife Rhonda took a 12,252-mile “Four Corners” ride, visiting all four corners of the continental U.S. while raising $2,400 for cancer research. The couple, who have been married for 27 years, started their trip of a lifetime on May 18, their wedding anniversary, and completed it 37 days later. Fred then decided to start the Bucket List Wish Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to help adults diagnosed with life-threatening medical conditions to complete a Bucket List wish. To find out more, or to be a sponsor, go to www.bucketlistwish.org… On August 18, the Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, riding community banded together and held a benefit ride and party at the Dirty Ol’ Tavern to raise money for Rick Noll and his son Chad after a June 27 fire totally destroyed their shop, the Cycle Den, in Columbia, Pennsylvania. Rick has owned the shop for 35 years, and his son Chad has been working with his dad for the last 20 years. The building, which had many year’s worth of vintage bikes and parts inside, was pulled down on June 30, although the shop is still able to fill some parts orders while they rebuild the business… Tri-County MC held its 7th annual Larry’s Legacy Scholarship Fund Bike Run on August 26. Signup was at Rockaway Boro Plaza in Rockaway, New Jersey, after which riders set off for an 88-mile lime run through Northwest New Jersey into New York State, coming back to New Jersey and ending at the VFW in Mt. Tabor. For a $15 donation, riders enjoyed live music by Filthy Rich and the Poor Boys, an all-you-can-eat buffet, soft drinks and door prizes. CC Riders MC won best-represented non-AMA club and NJ Blue Knights IX took best-represented AMA club. The fund was named after Larry Christie, a Morris County, New Jersey, senior probation officer who was born with a rare form of muscular dystrophy and passed away in 2005. Inspired by Larry’s dedication to the kids he worked with, the Legacy Fund awards scholarships to kids who have faced adversities and are headed in a positive direction. About $53,000 in scholarships has been awarded since the ride’s inception… Charlie St. Clair, executive director of the Laconia Motorcycle Week Association, was on his way to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally when his motorcycle hit a deer on a remote road in Nebraska the Friday night before the rally. Charlie shattered his left tibia, left knee and right hand, and underwent surgery a week and a half later to repair some of the damage. The bike is being repaired at Dubuque Harley-Davidson where he bought it. Charlie tells me, “I’m not complaining; I know how lucky I am to be alive. I’m relieved and grateful. And I appreciate everyone’s good wishes, which have been coming in from all over the country.” He plans to pick up the bike in the spring and finish his ride to Sturgis, say hi to everybody, turn around and ride home. And then ride to Sturgis again for the rally in August. This year would’ve been his 37th ride to Sturgis, and he says his goal is to make 50 trips.
