Amy and I attended the Dixie Thunder of Aiken County Down Riders fund raising event. I thought I would start this entry off with some video of me applying my sunscreen, looking for PR, the chairman of the Down Rider committee, and the interview with PR. Nothing really explains it better than hearing and seeing the event.

Sunscreen applied, hat given back to Amy (I hate hats, even when they are door prizes) and now I’m off to look for PR…he’s a very quiet man and not easy to find in a crowd.

Finally found PR and twisted his arm a bit to get him to sit down and say a few words while staring straight into a digicam. Oh..I’m kidding PR will take any opportunity he can to jump into a picture or video!

PR is a man of little words because he is a survivor of throat cancer. Most of his larynx was removed and he breathes with a stoma. He worked very hard at learning to use his voice and though he is often difficult to hear, he never really has a problem getting his point across.

PR is the chairman of the Down Rider Fund program. Due to health reasons he is stepping down. This last event under his lead was one of the best ones I have been to. I’m proud of what PR has done and will proudly assist whoever steps up into his position.

Transcript:

I’m PR and I’m the Chairman of Dixie Thunder ABATE Down riders fund, and I do this event every year to help our brothers and sisters who have the misfortune of dropping their scoots. We are very fortunate to have a place like this to go to have the enjoyment and contribute to our brotherhood. If you look around you will see there is a lot of us here and everyone went out of their way to be here today to support the brotherhood of freedom and to support our brothers and sisters in the community and I thank all for your support. I thank you all for being in ABATE.  Ride hard or stay home!

The day’s events started with bikes coming in off from a run.  The guys and gals pay an entry fee for the ride and they stop at various locations around the town as set up by the events team.  These locations are all supporters of Dixie Thunder.  When they visit a location they get a signature on the ride sheet.  The riders then return after visiting all the locations on the run.  At the end there is some kind of game played to decide who is the winner of the run.  The winner receives a portion of the entry fee money and they have the choice to keep the funds or donate it to the benefit.  Most donate the funds to the benefit.

Here are some bikes coming off the run

After the run winner is determined, it’s time for them to eat then get ready for some field games.  The field games are trophy games and they are set up by the events team.  Most of these are races, not to see who can ride the fastest, but who can ride the slowest… without dropping their feet, or their bike.  Sound pointless?  These are important skills for a rider to master before encountering traffic stops, turns, parking lots, and school zones.  Sound boring?  No way!  It takes skill and teamwork to balance a few hundred pounds of chrome and steel on two wheels without momentum holding you and your passenger up.

Here are bikes rolling into the field for the first game.

This is the slow race game.  The object is for the rider to ride across the field, between the lines, at slow speed and not lay their foot down on the ground and of course to not drop their bike.

LOL…ummm, you are not suppose to drop your bike before the race even starts! It’s ok, the race hadn’t started yet and he was not disqualified, here they go…

Before round two of the slow race someone rolled me across the field so I could get some video from another angle.

Next game, the ring toss. This is a couples game. The rider has to ride at slow speed, can’t put the foot down, can’t drop the bike and the passenger has to toss inflated rings onto cones. LOL..not as easy as it sounds!

Next game was the weenie bite game. This is another couples game. The rider rides under a suspended hot dog covered heavily in either mayo or mustard. The rider rolls under the bar and the passenger has to reach up and bite the weenie. Biggest bite wins.

After the Weenie bite there was a short break as we were getting ready for some bikeless games. Not everyone who attends rides a motorcycle. Amy and I have never been motorcyclists or passenger riders. We simply support the motorcyclists fight for their rights to ride equally and safely upon our public highways and to have the right to decide when and where to use personal safety gear. Since bikers rights are not just supported by bikers many benefit events held by Dixie Thunder include games for those who do not ride.

This game is the toilet paper game. One person on one side holds a roll of TP between their legs, on the other side one holds a plunger between theirs. The one with the plunger has to use the plunger to pick up the roll from his partners legs…no hands involved. Then must carry the plunger with TP roll on it to the other side. LOL…it’s a funny game!  Amy and I wanted to do it, but there was an unfair advantage to me being seated.

After the TP game was the goat chase game. No goats were harmed or frightened in any way These goats are tame goats, very  friendly, used to humans and are used to being herded. In this game the participant had to find, capture and crate a billy goat plus a goat with a special mark on it. The winner won a $50 bar tab from the host bar.

Last bikerless game was the bottle toss…this one you just toss a bottle into a barrel. Sounds kinda boring till you find out just how hard it is!

After the bottle toss game, I think someone forgot about another bike game, cuz they held the straw in the bottle game. This one is another couples game, the rider again goes slow speed, can’t drop the foot or the bike and the passenger must drop a straw into a 2 liter plastic bottle. Not an easy game!

Finally the winners were announced and the trophies were handed out. It was a great day!

Third place trophy winners for all events

A HUGE THANK YOU goes to

For their hosting of the event, all the advertisement fliers and radio ads…radio ads! Wow!  I don’t know if anyone else has done that for a Down Rider event. Thank you to Woodys and to all the employees and club members who helped to make this year’s Down Riders Fund Benefit Event a huge success.

For more photos of the 2009 Down Rider Fund Benefit Event…Go Here

For more Videos of the event…Go Here