Dear Alabama Riders,
Today as I sit down and write my editorial I can’t help but be a little depressed. Saturday a week ago I lost two friends in a head-on collision here in Gadsden, Luis “Barney” Barnard and Myra Price. Just as I was thinking that I had caught my breath over losing these two friends my cell phone rang with the news that Anthony Maddox, a lifelong friend and classmate, had died of a heart attack. All three of these friends had attended a lot of events throughout the South and were well known by the biker community. We had partied together at my bar, attended many charity events as well as several bike rallys. I will miss them very much as I know that a lot of you reading this editorial will. I pray that they are all safe in the hands of the Lord and at peace with the sun in their face and the wind in their hair.
ABATE. You know that we had the ABATE Rally down at Bama Bike Fest. Stover, Stewart and Phillips will also be at the rally there in July pushing the ABATE issue. I am getting a lot of response to this. We have several people who have already joined. In case you are wondering membership is $40.00 per year. The check can be made payable to Stover, Stewart and Phillips Law Firm, attention Jay Stover, Alabama ABATE @ 750 Forrest Avenue, Gadsden, AL, 35901. This money is being put into an ABATE Trust Account to help us get started electing officers in the different areas throughout Alabama. There has already been a set of bylaws drawn up for the state by Stover, Stewart and Phillips. If you wish to have a set of these bylaws you can contact them and request a copy. We will be setting up a website where the bylaws, dues, etc will be posted as soon as possible. We will also be out at many of the dealerships and rallys over the next several months. I think that we are finally on the road to having a dream of mine come true by having an active ABATE in the State of Alabama.
Bama Bike Fest Summer Rally is coming up July 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th. Frank and Connie have spent a lot of money bringing in gravel to improve the roads, as well as new showers and stage. I feel like July will be a fun time down on the farm. Rumble on Noble Motorcycle & Music Streetfest is coming up August 22nd. This is an event sponsored by Full Throttle Magazine, Mt. Cheaha Harley-Davidson, Lawbike.com and many others. There will be a big party at Mt. Cheaha Harley-Davidson on the 21st of August. This year we have a huge event planned. I am very excited about this and looking forward to it. This is one show that you will not want to miss. I know that last year with the hurricane on top of us 1200 people stood and braved the rain to hear Mother’s Finest at their best. Also you need to stay in touch with the Cruisin’ Calendar as there are many events planned at the different Dealerships. Foster Harley Davidson has the Miss Foster Harley-Davidson Contest and Bike Show and many other activities on July 18th. We are all looking forward to being in Tuscumbia for this show.
I look forward to seeing all of you guys out at the events. I know it won’t be long until we will be back at Thunder Beach. The main thing is to do our best to ride safe and enjoy ourselves to the best of our ability. Take care of one another and take a little extra time to let our loved ones know how much we care about them. As I have always said, “You can’t be first but you can damn sure be next”.
Ride it like you stole it,
Fatdog
256-442-7850
