May 5, 1999

First-ever Biker Bash shows kids adults who care

By Garret Leiva
Herald staff writer
       Intentionally inviting Harley-Davidson and Honda riders to park their motorcycles in the same room may seem on par with asking the Hatfields and McCoys over to the house for Thanksgiving dinner.
      This weekend's first-ever Biker Bash, however, hardly proved a recipe for disaster.
      While they might not have broken bread together, members of the Northwest Michigan Hogg Chapter and Gold Wing Road Riders Association did join in the festivities at the Biker Bash held Saturday evening inside Howe Arena at the Grand Traverse County Civic Center.
      Sponsored by the Traverse City Central High School's Students Against Drunk Driving chapter, the four-hour fund-raiser was an evening devoted to motorcycles and rock 'n' roll music. Those attending the bash could walk away with a multicolored tattoo (the water-soluble kind), a keyless car entry system door prize or a picture of themselves sitting high atop the customized Hogg of Traverse City police officer Sgt. Dennis Padgett.
      Biker Bash co-organizer and SADD adviser Pat Bowen said the dance, which was open to all area high school students, was seen as a way to rev up the tried and tired school dance circuit.
      "Officer Padgett and I chaperone a lot of the dances at the high school and they are not attended by very many kids. We wanted to provide more than just a dance, by letting students see that these people are adults and they know how to have fun, too," Bowen said.
      Displaying what has been dubbed the "Cadillac of motorcycles," Gold Wing Road Riders Association member Bill Nolff said the Biker Bash tied in with the club's overall type of motorcycling.
      "Our motto is 'fun, family and safety,' so we thought this was a very good cause," said the Traverse City Chapter 02 director, whose association, along with supporting organizations such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation, provides a Christmas dinner and gifts for an area family each year.
      "Parents and the community need to support activities for the kids. If you have events like this then they don't have time to get into trouble," he said.
      While he prefers a Hogg to a Honda, Frank Carter wholeheartedly agrees with his two-wheel counterpart Nolff. As chapter director of the Northwest Michigan Hogg Chapter, Carter noted that the Biker Bash shows students that everyone can get along in life - even Harley and Honda riders.
      "It doesn't matter Harley or Honda; we want to show these kids that there is a lifestyle out there that is safe," said the leather-clad Carter, whose flowing gray beard framed a vest full of biker pins.
      Letting a pair of junior high students sit on his "motor" and his wife's Bahama blue Harley, Carter demonstrated firsthand how a small gesture can show someone you care.
      "I kind of like being here with the kids to show them that there are adults out in the community that support them, especially in light of what happened in Colorado and what is happening locally," he noted.
      "Kids do need a good role model. They need to know that there are adults out here that do care for them."