Happy birthday to Schott N.Y.C! The iconic jacket manufacturer is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Since 1913 when Irving and Jack Schott began selling raincoats made in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, the company has grown into an internationally known outerwear brand. Schott has four stores in Japan, one in Paris and has just opened a new flagship store in downtown Manhattan. The single piece of clothing that Schott is most known for is their Perfecto black leather jacket with asymmetrical zipper worn by Marlon Brando in the movie The Wild Ones, and it was also worn by actor James Dean. Schott made motorcycle jackets even before Harley did! I got my first version of the jacket at the tender age of 13, wanting to be too cool for school. Schott still manufacturers its jackets in the U.S.A. More recently Schott jackets have been worn by Andy Warhol, the Ramones, Bruce Springsteen, the Beastie Boys and even Lady Gaga… On September 21, the Connecticut Citizens Defense League held its first-ever 2nd Amendment Poker Run. Signup was at Woodbridge Firearms Trading Post and riders took a 26-mile route, stopping at Bozzuto’s Trucking and continuing to King 33 Training Facility in Southington where participants enjoyed food and live music. A huge raffle was held, with prizes including firearms and gift certificates donated by businesses that support the Second Amendment. The grand prize of a customized Softail was won by Gerald K. from Deep River, Connecticut, and proceeds from the event and the raffle went to the CCDL’s Litigation Fund to restore the rights taken away from Connecticut citizens by the gun control act passed earlier this year… On September 18, I accepted the Blue Knights New Jersey Chapter IX invitation to attend this year’s check presentation from the 2013 Gooch’s Garlic Run fundraiser. The banquet was held at the Hilton Garden Inn at Rockaway Townsquare Mall where we enjoyed a delicious buffet dinner and the camaraderie of motorcyclists who take great pride and satisfaction in helping others less fortunate. For more than a quarter century, BKNJIX has been financially assisting families with children who have catastrophic illnesses. A check for $8,000 was presented to each of the beneficiaries, all of whom reside in New Jersey. The recipients were the families of Ian Michael Burke, 14, from Hamburg, New Jersey, who has cerebral palsy, Dromique Douglas Mann from Ringwood, 14, who suffered from MALT lymphoma and common variable immunodeficiency (CVID), Peyton Jude Zietelli, 2, from Boonton who has a rare form of cancer of the soft muscle tissue, and Tyara Lopez, 14, from Newark, who has been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Checks were also given to recipients of other BKNJIX charities, including a $4,500 donation to Make-A-Wish of New Jersey and $3,500 to the Karen Quinlan Home, a new hospice that is being built. Plaques were awarded to sponsors and supporters of the BKNJIX fundraising efforts (there were way too many to list here), and I was stunned when I was asked to accept a plaque on behalf of THUNDER PRESS for our support of the Blue Knights chapter’s charity works. Thanks, guys, for all you do, and for the opportunity to see for myself how these funds help the kids and their families… From Mike Warnock a.k.a. “Bulldozer,” Sgt. at Arms of the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association NJ Chapter 38-1: “Shadow, I just wanted to let you know about what we have been doing for ‘The Shadow Knows’ Our chapter held a barbecue and bike show for the residents of Veterans Haven in Winslow, New Jersey. The facility helps veterans with issues assimilate back into society, and constant screening ensures they are clean at all times. It was a great day and the residents couldn’t thank us enough. The mayor of Jackson, New Jersey, requested we participate in Jackson’s Wounded Warrior parade. The residents line the roads of Jackson from the municipal center to the Central Jersey gun club. We did the escort and the warriors had free use of all the ranges as well as food. We try to do as much as possible; our association motto is, ‘Vets Helping Vets.’ Check out our website at www.njcvma.org. Thank you for all you do to keep the bike world informed. I look forward to your magazine and column monthly. Keep up the great work.” Thank you, Mike, and the CVMA for all you do for our veterans…The night of October 21, more than a dozen people slept outside the American Legion Post 50 in Castleton, Vermont. The Freeze Out event, sponsored by Rutland County ABATE, was intended to raise awareness of homeless veterans, and the ABATE chapter and volunteers collected three truckloads of winter clothes. Chapter President Monty Springer, a U.S. Army veteran, says that the Freeze Out will be an annual event, and wants to encourage other states to hold similar events… The 3rd annual Chefs Go Fresh motorcycle tour took place on September 30. Each year, renowned D.C.-area chefs Robert Wiedmaier, David Guis and several other riding buddies who call themselves the District Hogs, take a ride to check out D.C.-area farms. This year’s tour took them to Maryland where they sampled seafood and food grown at local farms. The group uses these rides as a way to raise money for Share Our Strength, an organization that has the goal of ending childhood hunger. Last year, the District Hogs also raised funds for and delivered toys to children that were affected by Hurricane Sandy… On September 8 the Andiamo Restaurant in Haworth, New Jersey, hosted the 14th annual Benefit Motorcycle Run, with 1,300 riders raising $130,000. This year’s proceeds benefited Englewood Hospital and Medical Center’s new Cancer Treatment and Wellness Center, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Special Olympics, the Haworth Ambulance Corps, Andiamo Scholarship to St. Therese School and other charities in the Northern New Jersey area. The run is one of the largest rolling fundraisers in the state, and attracted riders from all over the country.
