20 years of family fun
Rollins Lake, Calif., June 1–2—It’s pretty safe to say that for most of us, there is nothing more valued than family, but for some, family is as much about who you ride with as it is about blood. Brotherhood is at least as important as DNA for some of us and the Grand Fathers MC would be the perfect case in point.
Every motorcycle club has an agenda at the heart of their organization and for the GFMC, their core concerns are family, theirs as well as the extended family of friends and loved ones they’ve invited into their fold. They’re not just about their own close-knit clan but about the betterment of their community, too, and the club holds annual fundraisers to help out the local indigent. The respect they’ve earned from citizens and local businesses over the years is evident in the support the club receives by means of donated raffle prizes, which are stacked chest deep and handed out with great flair as GFMC president Crayz Alexander holds court each June in the northeast forest outside Colfax, California. The local newspaper even comes out to snap a photo or two and scribble a few words about their own favorite motorcycle club. The underlying message here is that the GFMC has figured out a way to bring together the citizenry of their mountain enclave and the riding community over a common activity: camping. And who doesn’t love camping? There is no poker run or ride, no games and no drama, just a weekend of brotherhood and a collective effort at murdering mosquitos.
Everyone is greeted like family as friends and riders roll in from all across the country to camp out at the lake, casually catching up with each other since last year and tapping toes to the tunes of the fabulous Fryed Brothers Band. If you show up early, the Grand Band entertains the enchanted pine forest with their own brand of boogie, too. Vendors edge the compound and everyone enjoys stopping by to shop on their trips to and from a dip in the lake that lies just beyond the secluded campgrounds. The 2018 party had an added layer of frosting topping off the double-layer celebration cake since this summer commemorated 20 years of the annual campout for the NorCal club, though the Mother Charter in SoCal makes the trek up to the piney woods to support their club brothers. For those of us who showed up to honor the milestone, we were also honored to celebrate the patching of NorCal’s newest Grand Fathers Motorcycle Club member. On Saturday, prospect Ty was presented with the coveted club patch and warned that he had four minutes to sew it to his cut or else the patch would be revoked. It was fun to watch the prospect scramble, but by dawn’s early light he was seen cruising the campground with a smile that outshone the sun. He was busily helping with chores and wearing full colors so he obviously performed as required.
The next big adventure for the NorCal club will be on the weekend of September 7–9 when they roll into the giant Redwood forest for the annual Fryed Brothers Anniversary party. You can find GFMC members checking in partiers at the gate and providing security for the rocking romp at the Redwood River Resort in Leggett. If you haven’t bought a ticket you can get one at the gate but don’t expect to get a hotel room because those were sold out long ago. Bring a sleeping bag and a good attitude and you’ll have a great time. Be sure to tell Ty congratulations, too. Check Facebook for the Grand Fathers MC NorCal regarding information about next year’s campout. For information about the Fryed Brothers Anniversary, go to the Fryed’s website (fryedbrothersband.com) or contact Barb Fryed at 707.824.4861. Party on!
