I have a confession: the only time I go all out on my birthday is when it falls on Friday the 13th because I was born on that day. Yes, I am aware this explains a lot when it comes to my quirks as well as my Harley being named Superstition. For the past couple of years, I have been excitedly looking forward to January 2017 for the next special birthdate. In fact, I had been planning to go to New York City that weekend to witness the once in a lifetime Rolling Stones retrospective “Exhibitionism.” And then the International Motorcycle Show (www.MotorcycleShows.com) announced their Dallas dates—yep, that same weekend. Yes, I will attend IMS. Yes, I will celebrate Friday the 13th in style. Yes, I will visit the Stones exhibit. No, I haven’t a clue how I’m going to pull all this off so you’ll just have to check back in a few weeks to find out!… October went out with a blast when Rick Fairless celebrated the 20th anniversary of his legendary Strokers Dallas (www.StrokersDallas.com). Thousands of bikers showed up over the three-day event to enjoy live music, bikini and wet T-shirt contests, and even cake. Yes, leave it to Rick to find another segment of the viewing audience that might not be familiar with him. This time, a production crew was in town for the unveiling of an amazing 3-D cake in the shape of a motorcycle that served 750 slices. As if this wasn’t enough, Rick has also branched out into providing insurance services for motorcycles, autos, home, and more through his affiliation with Allstate… November got off to a rip-roaring start down in Galveston with the 15th annual Lone Star Rally (www.LoneStarRally.com) and more than 400,000 bikers took advantage of the stellar weather to take place at the massive end of season event. With balmy temperatures in the mid-80s it was a dramatic improvement from the year before when it was unseasonably cold with constant rain. Bike builders, vendors and sponsors were loving the massive crowds; Harley-Davidson had a very impressive set up along Seawall Boulevard overlooking the Gulf of Mexico where they offered some amazing riding options to interested bikers… On Sunday, November 20, the first big toy ride of the year in North Texas kicked off in Dallas with the 15th annual MotorCops for Kids Toy Run which is organized by the Dallas H.O.G. chapter, Garland Police, and Grand Prairie Police. More than 1,150 riders participated and $24,000 was raised with all proceeds benefiting Shriners Hospitals for Children in Galveston. Since the inception of the ride, a staggering $335,000 has been raised to benefit the hospitals in Galveston and Houston along with more than 14,000 toys, which have been distributed to area charities… The North Texas chapter of the Patriot Guard Riders held a series of sewing bees and completed a phenomenal 250 motorcycle vests to gift to the children attending Snowball Express for the first time. The kids are all members of Gold Star military families and PGR volunteers hundreds of hours to ensure the 1,500-plus kids on more than 50 buses are safely escorted during their annual visit to Dallas-Ft. Worth each year… Keep the shiny side up and I’ll see you next month!
