Meetings: See Text Below 

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Hi everybody! Busy, busy, busy riding season up in our neck of the woods in Northwest Wisconsin! Our last Monthly meeting was an early one. We held it that day at the City Limits Tavern and Pizza in Hayward just prior to their first ever motorcycle run. It was a very good meeting with great participation in the meeting and the run. What made it a little bit different is the fact that there were people there for the run early and they were able to sit and listen to our meeting even though many of them are not ABATE members, so it was very interesting to me to watch as I spoke and presented our issues as ABATE of Wisconsin and I noticed that people really listened. I believe we educated these people on what we are all about. I am sure that we gained some membership because of the timing of having that meeting before that run. I know I was approached by a prior member from up in region 6B that hasn't renewed in quite a few years, but he approached me and introduced himself and said he was really interested and liked what he heard and saw at the meeting that day and he thought he probably will rejoin again. He actually called me a couple days later on the phone and talk to me quite a bit about what we've been up to and I told him if he's interested and likes what he sees there's no reason he should not re-up his membership if he supports what we do, no matter if he rides anymore or not, and he agreed.

 

We also had some longtime members from down in District 1 that showed up who had relocated up to the Hayward area. They were very excited and happy to see and hear about all of the events and things we have going on here. They rode that day with us and had a great time! Thanks Bucky and Jame, for hosting, having a great run, and for supporting ABATE. They also made a donation to ABATE!

 

A good group of us have just returned from Sturgis and as always, it was a great time. Of course, as many have heard, we had the typical Sturgis hail that happens out there, seems like every year in the Black Hills! No matter what you do it seems that one way or another you're gonna get caught in it! This year was a little worse and I'm sure many of you saw it on the news or pictures on social media. We ourselves from District 6, got some hail damage on our vehicles, trailers, etc. including on our heads as we hid under trees to escape the marbles falling from the sky! We also participated in the South Dakota ABATE Social Hour meeting in Whitewood along with quite a few of Wisconsin ABATE members in attendance! I believe there were 13 ABATE states represented there. Also, big congratulations to one of our own. Previous Legislative officer Dave Dwyer was inducted into the Sturgis Hall of Fame that weekend when we were there! Hardtail gave a speech at that meeting in Whitewood and pointed out a couple of things there that caught my attention that the MRF is addressing with the DOT. One of them is very well known, and that is about the tar snakes that they place on the roads in the summer. They create very hazardous situations for motorcycles, and almost a year ago caused the accident of one of our fellow members and my buddy up here. We lost him because of it. I found it absolutely crazy that we were coming from Keystone to Hill City on Old Hill City Road this year during Sturgis rally week and they just recently tarred cracks in the road before the rally! If anyone knows that road it is an extremely curvy road crossing railroad tracks approximately 13 times between Keystone and Hill City. I was leading the pack, and I couldn't believe that they did that just prior to a major event like that! Typically, we take that road many times when we're out there during the week. That was the one and only time I led our group through there. I refused to do it again and put anybody's lives at risk!

 

The other issue that Hardtail pointed out was the Cable guard rails that states are starting to use everywhere! Let's face it. they obviously are not motorcycle friendly by any means! Bouncing off our standard steel guard rail would be no fun, but getting tangled or decapitated in a cable guard rail in an emergency situation is even worse and is unacceptable! This guard rail situation, unfortunately, happened on our way home from Sturgis when we were driving down the highway returning during a heavy rain Saturday morning. We witnessed an accident on a cable guard rail, just east of Rapid City. As we drove by slowly, and all the motorcycles were pulled over, we noticed a Trike in the Cable guard rail with the entire front end tore off of it, literally! It was a 67-year-old man who hydroplaned on the highway because of the heavy rain. He lost control and had nowhere to go but into that cable guard rail! As far as I know at this point, he survived, but I have to think that if that cable guard rail wasn't there and it was a steal solid one, there would've been less of a situation there and possibly he could have avoided or went down into the ditch line without all of this happening. It's just my observation. So, everyone, please be safe out there, pay attention to things like this and remember this is what we are all about - protecting our motorcycle rights, our freedoms, our way of life, and our safety!

 

Enjoy the upcoming rides left this season and please watch our ABATE 6 Facebook page and website for all upcoming events, which are pretty much every weekend from now through the first weekend in October.

 

When we adjourned our last meeting, I had forgotten to ask our membership where we wanted to have our September meeting so potentially it will probably be at the Rivers Edge Motorcycle run the first Sunday of September in Hayward, but please watch our website and Facebook page for any updates about that.

 

As always, stay safe, ride free, and spread the word about ABATE!

 

Oh yeah, by the way, my granddaughter Snowe is the newest Junior Patriot member for the ABATE Junior Patriots! She was so excited to get her patch and her membership card in the mail, and she just got her own little electric razor motorcycle to start with. A birthday gift I got her! Don't forget to sign up and get your kids, grandkids, etc. involved in ABATE! Let's face it, they are our future in keeping our freedoms alive! Watch for a picture of her with her big smile holding her membership card in the newsletter!

 

 

Your fearless leader,

Scotty Too Hotty

Over and Out!