As summer comes to a close here in Florida, many of us are enjoying the change in the daytime temperatures and the early mornings have been especially nice. On August 24 riders on the west coast had a chance to enjoy the early mornings while supporting a great cause when the Sons of Sinners MC hosted their inaugural Benefit Ride to Salute Our Soldiers, which started at Gulf Coast Harley and ended at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell for a ceremonial flag presentation and memorial service honoring military personnel. Proceeds from the event will go to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation that provides scholarships and educational support and counseling to children and families of U.S. military personnel who lose their lives in service of our country… That same weekend, a little further up north, the very popular High Octane Saloon in Homosassa held its 3rd Anniversary Bash with a television taping, vendors, a big bike show and some well-known musical talent including the biker rally icon, Bobby Friss, as well as Jasmine Cain and Big Engine… On August 31, Stormy Hill Harley and the Winter Garden Police Athletic League joined forces to host a poker run that left out of the Fowler Groves Village at 9:00 a.m. and ended at the dealership at 11:00 a.m. The $25 registration fee included an event T-shirt, one poker hand and lunch. I’m not sure how this one went as I wasn’t able to attend, but if any of you would like to make a late donation, go to www.wgpal.org… Over the weekend of September 14–15 there were so many things going on, it was hard to decide in which direction to head. Over on the east coast in Titusville, friends of little Julie Spurlock put together a poker run to raise money and help Julie and her family with medical bills. Julie is a 13-year-old who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia last year and has undergone many procedures as a result of it. The ride started at the American Legion Post 359 and ended at the American Legion Post 1… On the west coast, riders came together to for the 6th annual 9-11 Remembrance Ride, which made stops at six of the Harley dealerships in the area. Proceeds will be donated to the James Haley Hospital to support veterans’ programs… In Tampa, AmVets Post 44 held their own all-day 9-11 event at the Hillsborough Veterans Memorial Park with music, food and vendors onsite… Up north, 100 miles or so in High Springs, a three-day event was hosted by the Lions Club from Friday night on the 13th until Sunday afternoon, September 15. Campsites were available for those wanting to rough it for a couple days to enjoy all the bands, contests, barbecue and vendors that were present… At Orlando Harley South in Kissimmee, the 9th annual Jason Burnett Memorial left out of the dealership with a police escort through about 70 miles of the best local roads. Upon returning to the dealership, several hundred riders enjoyed a nice lunch and an afternoon packed full of prizes and entertainment… Also on the 15th, my friends at Art in Motion in Kissimmee hosted their 2nd benefit for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. This year the theme was a mystery run, which started and ended back at the shop for the after-ride fun with music, food and other goodies. And although the turnout was only about half as many riders as in the past, a nice sum was still raised to help out the kids at St. Jude’s… And some good news for the riders in Tallahassee—the family of Harley dealerships known as H-D Florida is growing again. Recently they added another store to their family tree up in Tallahassee. Formerly known as Capital City Harley-Davidson, the new name will now be Harley-Davidson of Tallahassee and it joins the four sister stores in Tampa, Brandon, New Port Richey and the newest of all, Panama City Beach. The store location boasts over 20,000 square feet of space and is designed as a replica of the state capitol of Florida. It’s already won several awards from the H-D Motor Company with the most recent Bar & Shield Award landing on their doorstep in 2011. For those of you wishing to add them to your next afternoon ride, the address is 1745 Capital Circle NW… As I close I’d like to thank those of you in the Central Florida area that have supported the annual Pink Ribbons for Life Event sponsored by my club, the Chrome Angels of Central Florida. This event is usually held on the third Sunday in January and the 11th annual was planned for January 19, 2014. Unfortunately, I’ve got to head to California early in the month for another surgery so we have to postpone the event until July 27, which will be the 11th anniversary of our club anyway. Don’t worry; we won’t be riding in the heat ’cause it’s not a poker run. We’ll be inside in the A/C for the majority of the afternoon. I hope you’ll bear with us and continue to support us. With that, I’ll close and wish you all sunny skies and safe rides. God bless!
