GWRRA Chapter AR-B Region H M A Y 2009 Arkansas District Chapter Director: Don & Pam Redinger 479-409-9566 dpredinger@earthlink.net Assistant Chapter Directors Frank & Sharon Maxwell 479-855-2278 frankmaxwell@sbcglobal.net Membership Enhancement: Safety Director: George & Dora Coiner 479-621-3175 Gcoiner@centurytel.net Finance Director: Connie Hall Ride Coordinator: Nova Brandon (918) 344-3365 harjo4parts@yahoo.com Activity Director: Connie Brandon conniebrandon@yahoo.com Newsletter Editor: Pam Redinger (479) 530-9383 dpredinger@earthlink.net Correspondence & Recognition: Carl & Gay Wampler (479) 846-5071 cgw66@pgtc.com Phone Tree Coordinator & Chapter Store: Cliff & Carol Ann Coble (479) 846-5269 69_butch@pgtc.com Couple of the Year Gene & Barbara Renken Webmaster: Pam Redinger (479) 530-9383 dpredinger@earthlink.net Chapter Website: nwagoldwing.com Greetings to all Here it is the first of June and for the time being the rains have stopped. That can only mean one thing---more road trips. If you didn t make it to Rogers to the district rally, you missed a good time as usual. The District Staff did a great job of putting the rally together. There was something for everyone and a nice cool place to get with old friends and make new ones. The rally also brought about other changes. A new district staff was also put in place, with Chris and Pam DePriest heading up the staff as District Directors. Dale, Carolyn and their staff did an excellent job of providing for the membership and representing Arkansas in the region. They will be missed, but you can count on some fresh new ideas and the same kind of dedication that is so common in the district staff. I would also like congratulate and thank Bill and Jenny McBride for accepting the position of Region Educator. On The Road Hello, you have reached the newsletter article for Nova Brandon ride coordinator for Chapter B. I will be out of the area for the first week in June and unlike the nasty rumor I am not on vacation, but am really on a research mission on how to ride these two wheel vehicles from Honda. It really is sad the first true ride of the season is a 500 mile day. But, we are going to get From The CD Our chapter was also rewarded for its efforts. Congratulations go out to George, being chosen as the chapter educator of the year, Pam for getting first place in the newsletter competition, Buzzy Bear for placing first in the mascot completion and we also received a first place with our chapter banner. Chapter L just had their rally and it was a hoot. The weather was great and 10:00 was a perfect time for Biscuits and Gravy. There was a lot of competition in the games and a whole lot of serious visiting and a little tire kicking going on. This is always a rally to try to make. The next rally on the schedule will be chapter R at Van Buren on June 6 th. This will be a 10 to 3 affair with games, fun, food and all the trimmings. Let s all turn out and show our support for Chapter R. Till next time, Stay Cool and Ride Safe. Don & Pam some chapter rides in before the Polar bear ride, I m almost positive anyway. Maybe to Hucks? Congratulations to our very own George (the wing nut keeper) Coiner Chapter Educator of the Year. He does deserve the recognition and thanks for keeping up with all of our GWRRA dates and needs, also to Pam (the chapter mom) for First Place in the Newsletter, and for the banner. Thank you all for your hard work. Remember, if you do get to ride do it safe. NOVA
W I N G S A W A Y P A G E 2 Birthdays! 4 - Cliff Coble 6 Max McGaugh 9 Lester Stone 10 Gay Wampler 18 Odie Tresner 19 Deborah Bailey 19 - Jan Keirsey 22 Eugene Hall 25 Judy Schreck Anniversaries 1 Paul & Kathy Herrick 3 Keith & Jan Keirsey Chapter Celebrations 5 Kent & Debbie Kuebler 15 Bill & Elizabeth Edwards 18 Bob and Norene Harmon 19 Jim & Ann Newman. GWRRA Anniversaries! Max McGaugh 7 yrs. William Moore 11 yrs. Gene Renken 24 yrs. Barbara Renken 24 yrs. ( If we missed your special day, please accept our apology and please notify the newsletter editor so we won t forget you next year) D & P EMBROIDERY Pam Redinger (479) 530-9383 Www.lilthoroughbredtrailers.com Custom Motorcycle Windshield Covers, Custom Embroidery, Company Logos, Gift Items, Bags, Monogramming. NOW OFFERING Bling Goldwing T-shirts and Sequin Hats. Note from the Editor: I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the newsletter over the past year for making us #1. This is the first time Chapter B has received this award (to my knowledge). Pam Dale & Carolyn Frieden, Outgoing District Directors For Sale: 2004 GL1800 with Motortrike conversion. Less than 19000 miles with bunches of extras. 479-640-6536. Odie Tresner. Chris & Pam DePriest, New District Directors CHECK OUT ALL OF THE CLASSIFIED ADS ON THE DISTRICT WEBSITE: www.argwrra.org
George & Dora Chapter Educator of the Year Buzzy Bear s First Level IV Breakfast
CHAPTER STORE: P A G E 4 We have Windshield Covers for $20.00 each. Protect your investment while supporting the Chapter!!! On the Safe Side: By George Coiner Hi Guys and Gals I ve been off work for ten weeks. It has rained for eight of them. The weather does not want to cooperate with us by giving us good riding weather. Be sure to maintain your bike (watch for Nova s safety letter). Carry all types of clothing. And be ready for anything. When riding in a group, it is always a good practice to show up early with a full belly, water glass, and gas tank. This way everyone is ready to go and no one waits. If you are going to be late be sure to call and let someone know. I hope everyone got a chance to ride in May. Maybe the weather will cooperate with us in June. ROAD CONDISTIONS ( gcoiner@cenurytel.net) Still under construction: Wagon Wheel road AR 72 out of Bentonville to the bypass Ar. 59 between Gentry and Siloam Springs Ar. 102 out of Bentonville to Summer Time, Summer Time Greenhouse Rd. They are trying to widen it. Ar.59 is complete to the straight section called 3 mile road, Or from the Dawn Hill turnoff to US 412 junction. Mount Comfort Road has two projects going first the exit ramp and second to widen the road itself. Don told me about four bridges on old AR 71 between West Fork and Winslow he is working on. Two are being worked on now and two more bridges after that. Bob told me about a concern north of Mountainburg about 3 miles. Only one lane and that is gravel. On AR 23 north of Ozark there is more construction. If you know of any other construction, e-mail me. Until next time: Remember our motto: FRIENDS for FUN, SAFETY, and KNOWLEDGE For now keep the rubber side down Geo & Dora OK, I know, when are we going on the 200+ lunch run? I am ready NOW! Unfortunately you may have noticed that many of us have not had an opportunity to even go around the block without planning on swimming back. Sometimes you get caught in the bad weather and you have to deal with it, but if you have a choice, most folks prefer to avoid the nasty weather when trying to have a pleasant ride. We are all way behind on our riding and many of us are about to forget how, but WingDing is a coming! You won t want to miss this one since it is so close. We will have some chapter rides, so be prepared, they may pop up at any time. The District rally went over pretty well, even the weather held out pretty good, so we got to impress the visiting folks with our area. Not to mention how well that our chapter did in the competitions. Kudos to George and his work for the chapter. But now we have to start focusing on our chapter rally, it will be here before you know it. Between the weather and time flying by, the riding time is zipping by for this year. I am still not sure if the weather will go from late winter to full on summer, but I know there is hot weather out there somewhere. By the time you are reading this, we will be winging it thru Colorado and all points in between as well as a projected stop at the 4 corners, so sun or rain we are on the road! Frank & Sharon Maxwell Chapter B, ACD G W R R A C H A P T E R A R - B
P A G E 5 www.neoshopowersports.com www.destinationpowersports.com 16194 Hwy 59 Neosho, MO 64850 Phone: 417-451-0661 Fax: 417-451-6113 We want to be your Goldwing Dealer FREE DOUNUTS AND COFFEE EVERY Saturday FREE hotdogs or burgers every Saturday (maybe) Chapter B members: ask for your 15% discount on Accessories PROUDLY SERVING STARBUCKS COFFEE S
P A G E 6 DINNER RIDES We are trying to get a schedule together for some exciting rides as well as dinner rides. Please watch your e- mail and the website for a schedule in the near future. What s Happening Chapter B Meeting: June 11 Eat at 9:00 a.m. and meet at 10:00 a.m. Golden Corral, Fayetteville. Arkansas District: June 6 Chapter R Rally. 605 Alma Blvd., Van Buren. 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. August 8 Chapter B Rally, Rogers, AR Sept. 12 Chapter J Rally (Russellville, ) Hobo Fest. Sept. 26 Chapter X Rally (Clarksville) October 3 Chapter H Rally (Batesville) Other GWRRA Activities July 2 5 WINGDING. Tulsa, OK August 28-29 Kansas District Rally, Abilene, KS October 15-17 Mississippi District Rally. Tupelo, MS. Oct. 22 24 Oklahoma District Rally, Muskogee, OK Those wishing to attend Chapter R s rally at Van Buren, Meet at 8:45 a.m. and leave at 9:00 a.m. from Heartland Honda. Let s Support our neighboring Chapter!!!! 808 SE 14th St Hwy 102 Bentonville, Arkansas 72712 Open 6 days a week Monday Saturday G W R R A C H A P T E R A R - B
W I N G S A W A Y P A G E 7 WE HAVE THEM CHECK OUT THE NEW 2009 GOLDWINGS! CHECK OUT OUR CALIFORNIA SIDECAR TRIKES & TRAILERS! Heartland Honda is certified to build your Trike. Have it assembled with everything you like. There are hundreds of options to choose from. Ask us how. www.heartlandhonda.com 479-751-7022 / 888-853-8468 Tues-Fri: 9am-6pm Sat: 9am-4pm Directions: Exit 72 from I-540, just north of Cracker Barrel on 48th Street/ Springdale
P A G E 8 Hi All, Hear Ye! Hear Ye! As we write this, we realize you are all busy attending the state rally this weekend. Here's to a successful one!! We completed the 10-day run for the wall with memories to last a lifetime. As mentioned earlier, limited computer access made it impossible to make daily reports, so I can only offer these comments. After the first couple of days, the bike count grew, running between 225-250 per day. About mid-country, near Kansas City, counts were 300+ bikes each day, and increased as we neared the east coast. Meeting Place Golden Corral Fayetteville, AR Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Chapter Meeting Time & Place: 2nd Saturday of each Month at Golden Corral, 4507 N. College Ave, Fayetteville, AR Eat at 9:00 a.m. and Meeting at 10:00 a.m. Riding in "platoons," which were 20-25 bikes each on the west coast, but then growing as the ridership increased heading east, rising to 40-50 bikes per platoon. Police escorts played an important part in the ride - not only in the small-town events, but in getting through metro areas such as Albuquerque, Kansas City and St. Louis, as well as our entry into the congested Virginia/Washington DC area. (Actually, the New Mexico state police gave escort through the entire state, to the border, where six officers stood with salutes as we entered into Colorado). Much of the trip was ridden side-by-side. We rode staggered positions on two particularly windy legs of the trip and in a couple of construction areas. Only twice (in a winding, two-lane canyon area of New Mexico, and in a curvy, winding coal-mining area of West Virginia) did we ride single-file. Reasoning for the side-by-side positioning was that it formed a tighter formation that would reduce the chance of cars breaking into our tight formations, thus reducing risk of accidents. The only precipitation on the entire ride was felt in northern New Mexico in the form of light rain/sprinkles. High winds forced us to ride single file for a couple legs of the ride, but then sunshine and partly cloudy conditions prevailed the remainder of the time. A huge blessing for a 10-day, cross-country ride. We are filled with memories of the stops along the way. The generosity of local VFW S, American Legions, small town communities, area bike groups - meals, water stops, donated fuel stops, snacks, etc... the list goes on. Visits to VA hospitals provided opportunities to chat with veterans of all ages, hearing stories that we wouldn't have otherwise. We have vivid images of the patriotic vein that flows throughout our country. Our hearts were constantly tugged at by the mainstream populace dotting the streets in the small towns as well as those who found their way to the overpasses, waving and holding large American and POW-MIA flags. Salutes from vets to the riding vets were also prevalent along the way. The ride, among other things, was a refreshing view of the American people and their pride in our country. The day after arriving at our destination (Arlington, VA) was unscheduled, allowing for visiting the D.C. area at our leisure. we joined with some family members, touring the various memorials. G W R R A C H A P T E R A R - B
W I N G S A W A Y D & P Enterprises (479) 409-9566 Fayetteville, AR 72703 www.lilthoroughbredtrailers.com dpredinger@earthlink.net P A G E 9 along with our USA flag and POW-MIA flag, we had flown a yellow banner with the name of Paul's brother, which had also been signed by family and friends. A personal mission was accomplished when we were able to lay it at panel 17W of the Vietnam Memorial. Many of our riders were Vietnam vets who were visiting the wall for the first time, finding names of friends and buddies and facing memories that have been tucked away for years. Tears, hugs and healing took place throughout the day and night. The culmination of the trip was on Sunday, may 24. We woke at 4 a.m. so we could have the bikes packed by 5 a.m. so we could join our pack and stage by 6 a.m. We left our motel area in Arlington, Virginia, at 6:30 a.m. and headed en masse to join the Rolling Thunder Parade at the Pentagon parking lot. After staging, we had nearly 5 hours to meander the area until the parade began at 12 noon. There were vendors, and we made sure we stopped at the local Harley Davidson booth, which, with a HOG membership number, gave out special event pins to commemorate the day. And, of course, it seemed most appropriate that we purchase an official HD Rolling Thunder shirt to add to our biker wardrobe! When we learned we were only a walk away from the 911 Pentagon Memorial, we found our way and experienced the vivid and somber reminder of that day and those lives that were sacrificed. We both feel that we truly experienced the ride to the fullest. Our motto was "we ride for those who can't" - not only the ones who gave their lives, but those who are disabled, and even those who, because of daily life responsibilities or financial hardships, are unable to physically join the ride, but who support it in principle. Today, May 29, finds us visiting our son and family in rainy south Florida. We will leave here Sunday to head back to Arkansas. Again, for more information and the daily situation reports, you can go to www.rftw.org. We thank you all for your thoughts and support!! Kathy and Paul Herrick A big Thank You to Tom Shade, Flip Smith and Jim Ramey of the local CMA chapter for doing the Blessing of the Bikes at our May meeting. We had 17 bikes that were blessed.
GOLD WING ROAD RIDERS ASSOCIATION ARKANSAS District Directors Wow, we had a great time at the rally, and we want to start this letter by saying thanks to a few people, first of all to Dale and Carolyn for selecting us to carry on in this great District, we are looking forward to taking this District to the next level. Second, to the rest of the outgoing District staff who have tried to tell us all that we are going to need to know to go to the next level (even though we all know that you can never learn it all). Thirdly, to all the members of this District for your support in the past and we hope that you will be there in the future. We do not want to bore you with details or make lots of promises that we can not or will not keep, so let s just lay down a few goals and then we can aim for those in this first year. The primary goal is to get our District working together better, not that we are not at this moment, but some chapters never see other chapters and we want to try and make every chapter be connected to one another. As most of you know we have some Chapters that are at opposite corners of the state, it is difficult to ride 5 hours for a rally and then go back. Perhaps we could get close enough to one another that lodging could be arranged in other chapter members homes so that this distance could be overcome by an overnight ride to the rally. This is just one thought as how we can help one another. If every chapter will reach out in some way to another chapter, we will all grow closer together. Another goal is to have better communications. Our District staff is planning to make a few rides at the beginning of the season and at the end, to specific points that are centrally located in order that every chapter has the opportunity to discuss issues and ideas with the District Staff. We know that it is difficult to communicate with the whole District, but we are willing to give of our time and if you will give of yours perhaps we can start something that can benefit all of us. These are just two goals, but they are huge if you consider that we still have to operate and plan the activities of the coming year. We want your input and want you to know that our ears are open to hear what the members want. This great association that we have joined is all about the members, and we plan on listening to them and doing everything we can for them. Well, we are in the middle of our rally season and we know there will be many opportunities to talk, so I will ask that you get out and participate in everything that you can. Your District staff will be represented at all of the events coming up. Stop us and let us know your thoughts. Thanks, and remember, if it looks like a good day to ride it probably is. Chris and Pam DePriest director@argwrra.org
GWRRA Chapter AR-B 17879 Driftwood App Fayetteville, AR 72703 Friends for Fun, Safety and Knowledge ARKANSAS TRIKE CENTER 217 Taylor Rd. Exit 58 Hwy I-40 Clarksville, AR 72830