Last Sunday saw a charity benefit ride with a twist: bring your pet along. And several people did bring their pets along. From the largest, Angus, to the smallest, Lady, they came with their owners to enjoy the ride and generate some much-needed funds for the SPCA.
Angus is a St. Bernard owned by Cary Moran of the SPCA and Lady is owned by Tom and Jane Kowalhin of Berwick. Angus couldn’t find a bike to carry him (he weighs more than 200 pounds; you’d need a sidecar) so he went with his owner in her pickup truck. Lady is an albino Shitzu and travels everywhere with them. She was very calm around all of the large crowd of people and the more than 600 bikes. Lady rides in a snug front pack with Jane on their Honda.
In addition to Angus and Lady, there were several other dogs among the riders and attendees. One little black dog looked just like Toto from “The Wizard of Oz.” You could hear him barking even coming down the mountain.
Each of these dogs came to support their owners who were there to help other dogs, cats and other animals who couldn’t be there and don’t have a home. The SPCA was open for business as the ride got underway. Many of the riders spent some time wandering through the shelter. I personally fell in love with about seven dogs, three cats and the Iguana. Maybe that was the idea.
This year’s ride was a record breaker. More bikes than ever — more than 600. This of course means that there will be an expected gain in the donation made to the SPCA. This is one of the many fundraisers that it does, and it’s been a 13-year tradition. As SPCA Director Vince Sweeney always says, the SPCA needs the money “to keep the lights on” for the organization. The SPCA is a non-profit organization, and it relies on the very generous donations made by you. If you don’t have a bike, you can still help the SPCA. Check out www.spcaluzernecounty.org/how-you-can-help.html.
Finally a day without rain, and it couldn’t have come for a better event. The oft-gray skies parted for a warm, sunny day. To see this many bikes come out to donate money for a cause in this economy is encouraging. The entire run ran like a well-oiled machine with military precision. From start to finish there were many safety precautions taken. The people at Bentley’s in Ashley did an outstanding job with parking and exiting the establishment.
The ride started with several flag people in front of the SPCA to direct the bikers and stop traffic for pedestrians. The Wyoming Valley Motorcycle Club, which began this tradition, had a crew of blockers lead the parade of motorcycles (and dogs). In addition to the blockers, many local and state police were on hand to stop traffic.
The addition of bright green vests and flags for the blockers helped them to stand out and look a bit more official when stopping traffic along the route and helped keep them safe. As the ride neared the end the destination, Ayer’s tow trucks blocked the road at the top of Route 309 and then followed the tail bikes down the mountain, making sure that no one would pass the bikers. Ashley police were located at the bottom of the hill near the entrance to Bentley’s. All the bikes came down the mountain and turned left into the parking lot where they were methodically lined up, filling the parking lot with hot colors and chrome.
In the upper lot, there was a hot rod cruise with doo-wop music and a DJ. On the patio there were bikes and Strawberry Jam. Bentley’s served up hamburgers, hot dogs and chips in its outdoor barbeque pit. The lines stretched for hours. I loved the New York deli onions that were a topping option. It was really awesome and I think a treat for many people who had not heard of that before.
As people were leaving Bentley’s, its security staff (in green vests) helped slow and stop traffic so that everyone leaving had a safe exit onto Route 309. This extra effort made everyone feel safe, and I know that I will be coming back to check out the rest of the interesting facilities located there. Thanks to all of the dogs and their owners and everyone who turned out for the big event. I’m just wondering how much pull Vince had with the weather.
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