For those of you that don’t know, I am an occupational therapist working within the pediatric realm, mostly in the schools. At the time I had several high school students with developmental delays and one of the goals is to assist them in getting ready to transition from school to the work force. Village of the Blue Rose is a great little bed and breakfast and restaurant between Clarksville and Louisiana Missouri off of scenic Hwy 79 (for reservations call 573-242-3464 or 573-242-3539). Village of the Blue Rose employs adults with developmental delays providing a loving work environment and housing for those that may not otherwise find employment. Right up my ally! By year three I had a wonderful volunteer staff that took a lot of stress off the preparations and wondering how was I going to pull off another event. . . with volunteers of course! Music was provided by The Big Easy.

Those of you that have had to opportunity to have a child receive Hippo Therapy know how beneficial this type of therapy is. Both occupational and physical therapists use horses as a therapeutic tool to assist individual with disabilities achieve their highest potentials. Both Meet the Cleavers and The Big Easy provided music. I think this is the year that I had someone come up to me the day of the show. This guy was very enthusiastic and stated that he was having a great time. He told me that every year his family celebrates his birthday down at the lake and that this year he talked them into staying at home so that he could go our annual motorcycle show! How cool is that! Made my day!

Jan and I had been on the Bikers for Babies ride in 2005 and were planning on going again in 2006.  Tiny, as many of you may know, was very heavily involved in Bikers for Babies.  Tiny had stopped by the shop quite a few times earlier in the year and really talked up all the good that the March of Dimes was doing   for infants, so Jan & I thought it a worthy cause.  Entertainment was  Ben Wah Bob.  More time meant more goodies were collect as door prizes.  I tried being more organized with my volunteers and found our micro managing does not workJ   A valuable lesson that has served me well in the following years.

This first fundraiser was thrown together fairly quickly as we had only been open since March of 2005. I knew Cassie from both Sacred Heart Parish and Troy Buchanan High School. Cassie had a brain tumor and we decided to do what we could to raise money to offset the cost of her rising medical bills. Cassie was a vibrant young lady always with a smile to give. She will be missed. A fellow parishioner, Dale Hollis, provided the entertainment as a DJ that first year. Our new vendors sent us some goodies for giveaways. We contacted local organizations and asked them to come and set up tables and had a few vendors. I found out what a giving community we live in and how valuable my volunteers are. And thus was born the annual Chariots of Fire Customs LLC Motorcycle Show!

The first Saturday in June is sneaking up on us quickly. As I count down the days and make the final preparations for our annual motorcycle show I can’t help but get excited about another big party! This year is exciting because we have added a gun raffle. Also, Women on Wheels is going to be pulling through with their state rally group.  I can’t wait!

This past month I have been thinking about past events and how grateful I am for all our wonderful volunteers. We could not throw a great party without all the behind the scenes help.
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15% off any products that increase your horsepower during the month of May!

Some folks look at me funny when they find out I am the President of TriCounty ABATE (A Brotherhood Aimed Toward Education).  They don’t understand what ABATE for Missouri is or what it is that we do for them and all motorcyclists.

I don’t always wear a helmet or full leathers and I did not join ABATE because of the helmet issue (which I think should be a choice). I joined for a lot of other reasons that affect motorcyclists and their rights.
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Throttle rolled on, raising the rpm. Squeezing the front brake with the same hand. Looking forward as the track official spins both hands around one another. Nothing but the deep throaty roar of two bikes ready to do battle. Thumping, vibrations crawling through the ground into anyone standing near the starting line. Left hand opens, the clutch engages, spinning the rear tire around and around. Smoke fills the air, as the tire heats up and grows just fractions taller. Easing off the brake the bike launches out of the water box; ready to race.
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Our New Email Look should be easier to read and more helpful!

A while ago (a year – more?) we updated our website. Now, we’ve taken it one step further and updated our email look. We’re pretty excited about it and hope you are too! We’ve formatted all the content we usually include to be easier to locate and read. With buttons that go out to our website, we hope you will enjoy reading our newsletter and other emails. We may tweak it a little as we get more feedback on it from you, but in the mean time: open, read, click, enjoy!

I ordered a new trailer for the shop just after Thanksgiving and was hoping to pick it up before the new year.  Well, after many calls to the manufacturer checking up on the progress I finally got the call that it was ready to be picked up.  I was as anxious as a kid on Christmas morning to finally get to go and get my new toy.  ROAD TRIP!  Myself and friend Doug Dillon started our journey to Fitzgerald Georgia Friday the thirteenth, not realizing this till about Chattanooga Tennessee.  I probably would have waited a day . . . okay, maybe not.
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