Guest Report - November 2026

MOM 2026 – Michelle Nusbaum

Meeting of the Minds 2026 – What a great weekend! I would like to thank ABATE of WI for the opportunity to attend this great conference. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend many sessions, so my article is going to take a look from a different perspective.

Unless you have been directly involved in organizing an event of this magnitude, you may not be aware of the amount of work which includes hours spent scheduling of people and other resources, finding the best location, organizing schedules, securing speakers and presenters, ensuring bike security is prioritized, printing and assembling conference materials…the list is endless, and ABATE of WI did it with ease! Of course this is an MRF event, but as the host - there is plenty on the plates of the folks of our amazing organization. The volunteers who work behind the scenes for up to two years prior to the weekend are the real heroes that made this a success.

Now I would like to focus on the great work Region 1H (and other Region friends, shout out to Jessi from 8D!) did in the Hospitality rooms. We had two rooms to show off our talents, and our crews did just that! The food Jon and his crew including Brenda, Julie, Boyd and Brillo served in the upstairs Hospitality room was very well received and

was enjoyed by all who entered the room. Cheese donated by Twit was available at each meal we offered, a lot of it, and it was the main topic of conversation while folks were in line. Toad, Boyd and Kevin masterfully grilled the burgers, brats and hot dogs, the amount we went through is pretty incredible! Sally showed off her kitchen skills by making the coleslaw, potato and pasta salads. Many compliments were shared! Breakfast both days disappeared in no time flat, a darn good sign that people enjoyed what was offered. Folks must have been short on potassium, because we went through many, many pounds of bananas! Speaking of running out of the main course in a hurry – 2 large Nesco roasters of lasagna, with sides of corn, coleslaw and breadsticks = gone in 45 minutes! Thank you to my friend Rhonda who shared her “Lasagna for a Crowd” recipe, I will be holding onto that one!

The downstairs Hospitality room was also a big success! Jean, Cherie, Tony, Bugman and all of their helper friends kept the fun rolling by serving cold refreshments and light snacks. Folks were thirsty, too! Yowzer! Way to go showing off our Wisconsin pride! Shake of the day was a fun hit (even when I was in charge and told folks they could pay and play, but they wouldn’t win anything!)

The donations raised help to offset the costs incurred in putting on such an event as this. Thank you all for your generosity. I really enjoyed seeing all of the folks from across the country sitting at tables, or standing in groups talking about motorcycling, rides taken or rides planned, friendships made, and their dedication to the Freedom of the Road. Productive conversations don’t just happen in the conference rooms.

I want to say thank you to everyone who donated food items, soda, made runs for more ice during the event, made cash donations (before and during) to help cover costs, offered their personal coolers to be used at the event, helped cook and prepare food (lots of folks “cut the cheese”), helped haul stuff in and out before and after the event as well as all of the other tedious stuff that has to be done, and helped to make sure we also had fun. All of you should be very proud of the work you did to ensure our guests had a great experience! We heard many compliments from folks about how friendly and welcoming everyone was, they enjoyed the food and drink as well as the fun conversations while in line, and the overall Midwest Nice that they had heard of and now have an understanding of what that means. I secretly hope that Midwest Nice goes home with them and it spreads! When asked if folks were enjoying the conference, not a negative comment was shared.

Great work MRF, great work ABATE of WI and great work Region 1H and friends!! You nailed it! Folks like to come to Wisconsin for conferences, and we all should be proud of that.