Rodeo- Fund Raising for Motorcycle Clubs

Rodeo- Fund Raising for Motorcycle Clubs

Story and Photos by Bob & Cindy Savage

Publication Date: November 1996

North Delaware Route 9 takes travelers from Newcastle, Delaware, to just south of Dover Air Force Base, in Dover, Delaware. This 45 mile stretch of road is known as the "Scenic Route." It is a single lane roadway that takes you along the northern head of the Delaware Bay, through low-lying marshlands and miles of farmland, with an occasional small town. During the fall, millions of Canadian Geese flock to the area and can be seen resting and eating in the fields as they head south on the Atlantic Flyway. About halfway up Route 9 is an area known as Fleming's Landing. This is the home of the Vietnam Vet's Motorcycle Club of Delaware.

Sitting on approximately 10 acres of land, the Vet's have their own meeting hall plus two pole-barn structures for outside functions. There is also a large area of woods for members to camp while at any of the club's functions. Throughout the year, the Vietnam Vet's hold various events, as well as rent their facilities, to help raise money needed to continue various programs they sponsor. Such events include the Christmas Party held at the local VA hospital and a children's T-ball team in Smyrna, DE. One of these events is their annual "motorcycle rodeo" and bike show. Just as the Canadian Geese, hundreds of bikers and spectators flock to the area in the fall of each year to be part of this event. This year, as in the past, there was plenty of action to keep everyone busy.

I arrived at the event with Steve Sanborn, President of Americans Abandoned in SouthEast Asia, a POW/MIA awareness organization. By the time we completed putting up his organizations display, the bikes had started to arrive. Soon, all you could hear was the sound of Harley-Davidsons winding down the road towards the property's entrance as more and more bikes arrived. In just a short while, chrome and leather were everywhere you turned. While waiting for the rodeo to start, everyone walked around renewing friendships and listening to a local band play songs from ZZ Top, Lynard Skynard and other southern rock groups. Judges from the Vet's club walked through the various areas set aside for the different classes of bikes, scoring them to determine who would win the first place trophy. By mid-afternoon, the rodeo was ready to begin. Club members, Roger "Rabbit" and "Slo" addressed the crowd advising them of the rules for the various events and lining up the contestants.

The first event of the day was the Beer Barrel race. Riders used the front tie of their motorcycles to push an empty beer barrel down a lane 10 feet wide and 90 feet long. Riders were allowed to keep their feet on the ground, but if the barrel rolled outside the lane, the rider was disqualified. After several heat races, Bill "Rags" McGahan of Philadelphia, PA squared off with Chuck Cox of Milford, DE. Riding his 1984 "Springer" Harley-Davidson, McGahan worked his way down the course ahead of Cox. As soon as McGahan was within six feet of the finish line, he cracked his throttle and sent the barrel and his bike across the finish line for first place.

The second event of the day was the Water Race. This race used the same course as the beer barrel race. A passenger on the back of the bike balances a full 2 liter container of water on a six inch wide by twelve inch long board above the driver's head. At first, drivers attempted to drive slowly, hoping their passenger would be able to balance the container. However, after each rider was soaked at least once, they soon learned the trick to keeping the container on the board. It seems the trick is to have the board tilted forward some, while the driver opens the throttle and allows the G-force to do the rest. Roy and Betty Corran of Woodside, DE, finally took first on Roy's 1988 883 H-D, which he had converted to a 1200 Sportster.

Next, couples competed in the motorcycle joust. For this event, six rings were placed upright on orange traffic cones that were arranged in a zigzag pattern. Using a pool cue, the passenger would have to slide the cue through the ring and lift it onto the stick. The last two rings were smaller than the other four, making it more difficult as you went. Only one couple successfully removed all six rings, taking first place. Riding his 88 H-D soft-tail, Bill Wilson of Mount Laurel, NJ, negotiated the course, while his wife Cindy plucked each ring from the cones.

The hardest event of the day was held next, which was the Weenie Bite competition. For this, a mustard dipped hot dog was hung from a pole approximately six feet above the ground. As the driver rode his bike under the suspended hot dog, his passenger would attempt to take a bite from the hot dog. During the first attempt, Della Haas of Dover, DE was the only contestant to successfully take a bite, while her husband, Ed, drove his '86 H-D 883 Sportster. It was determined that the hot dog was too high for some of the shorter passengers, so a second attempt was made with the hot dog lowered to a more accessible height. This change did not help any of the teams and the winner of the event remained the same.

The final motorized event was the Slow Ride competition. This is just what it sounds like. Riders see who can take the longest time to complete the 90 foot track without putting their feet down on the ground. The winner of this event was Gary Glowitz riding his 883 H-D.

The Tire Toss competition was the last event of the day and everyone wanted to give it a try. The farthest toss was made by Greg Rivera of New Castle County, DE, who received the first place trophy. However, a protest was filed by the ladies present, stating that they were not included in the competition. To make it fair, the ladies were given the opportunity to compete amongst themselves, but were advised that there would not be a trophy. This did not appear to be an issue, since Greg Rivera's wife won first place and claimed the first place trophy from her husband. After the Tire Toss, everything started to wind down and bikers began their trek back home. With this event now over, club members will now start planning their next event, which will be their 11th Annual Poker Run in the spring of 1997.