Let’s Ride Our Own Ride

Well, let’s say this summer is surprising with the warm temperatures that we are experiencing. Along with the lack of the wet stuff falling from the sky, this is the weather riders dream of. With the 4th of July passed, hopefully you took a few minutes from the grill, parades and other things going on to take a moment to think about the birth of our nation and hope you gave thought to those brave enough to put their signatures down on a piece of paper knowing full well if caught, would probably mean a death sentence. But those brave men also understood the value of being free from British rule and took that chance. Here we are many years later, trying to hold on to and maintain those freedoms, though sometimes it seems that they are slipping out of our grasp.

Hopefully, you all are enjoying the road on our favorite means of transportation. Along with being able to get on the road, we need to remember to “Ride Your Own Ride”. We still have time to promote riding within your skill level, not to ride under the influence, and all riders should make sure they have a motorcycle license and seriously think about getting into an advanced rider course. We have edged over last year’s fatality numbers by a large margin, but over the last week or two we have gotten closer to those 2020 numbers. By getting serious about reducing fatalities, we can achieve lower numbers and earn some time out of the spotlight regarding those fatalities.

Steve Panten and I have a meeting scheduled with Secretary Thompson from the Wisconsin DOT along with his Deputy. We have also asked that David Pabst, Director of Bureau of Transportation Safety and Superintendent Burrell of the Wisconsin State Patrol join us again for a discussion of concerns we are seeing as far as Autonomous Vehicles are concerned and efforts being made in reducing motorcycle crashes and fatalities. We all met over a year ago and had a great meeting. Hopefully, it will be the same when we meet again this year.

The Summer Hummer is in the books, and it was once again a great event. Again, I did not win anything, but congratulations to those that did win money from the Summer Raffle or the minibike. The weather was great. Yes, there was some rain, but it mostly came in during the evening and overnight hours and did not seem to dampen many spirits. I appreciate the efforts of all of those that worked all year planning this event, along with everyone that took time out of their weekend to help out working, selling raffle tickets, security, bar tending or whatever. Without everyone stepping up this event would not be possible. We also had some bumps at the “Hummer” and those areas will be the topic of discussion at the next committee meeting, as the committee works towards next year’s event. Anyone wanting to help in the planning stage please reach out to Worm, or to me, and I can get your needs to the person in charge.

Earlier this year Joe Stanek put out a challenge to the group that if we raised twenty thousand dollars toward a structure that would replace the band tent, he would donate ten thousand dollars in memory of his wife Brenda who died of cancer. She believed in the organization, the land, and wanted to see the temporary tent replaced with a usable building. Well, we exceeded those twenty thousand dollars, and also had an anonymous donation of ten thousand dollars to add to the total. It is amazing the way our members work together towards something they believe in and look at these goals as obtainable. Thank you to ALL that donated to this effort. I am sure Brenda and all the other members in that special place are looking down smiling, clinking their beer bottles together, saying Good Job People!

Next up for the organization is the State Meeting being held October 8 – 10 at the Clarion Hotel in Baraboo. Look for information in this newsletter for information about lodging costs and how to book your room. I am sure it will be a great time as we look for exciting things to do. District Directors are also looking for the names of those members that go far and above what is expected of them for the organization.

Another upcoming event that tops the list is the MRF’s Meeting of the Minds being held in Atlanta, Georgia. Being held September 23rd- 26th, this is the premier training session for the Freedom Fighter of today. Those that present information at these events are smart, passionate, and willing to share what works and what doesn’t, to make groups like ours successful. We offered scholarships and those are filled, but you are more than welcomed to attend on your own. You can find information in this newsletter, the MRF website, or drop an email to Steve Panten or myself and we can point you in the right direction.

Last up we will be working on the organization’s budget for the next year – 2022. It is amazing to me that the finance committee, putting the efforts into creating a realistic budget that guides our organization for the next year, gets so close at predicting accurate figures by the end of the year. I am not sure how it is all done. I look at my own checkbook and wonder how I will make it to next month, but we spend a lot of time looking and discussing where we are spending, and how much will be allocated to certain items. We are still looking for a Finance Committee chair, so if you have some experience with numbers and budgets, let me know and we can talk.

I think that is it for the month, enjoy the summer and Ride Your Own Ride!

John