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Wounded Warriors event a hit
01 August 2010
Paul Thurston, of Thurst's Cycle, pulled off his third annual Riders With a Cause/Wounded Warriors event today, with a bigger crowd than ever before. More than 200 bikes joined his Sunday morning ride with the Armed Forces vehicles leading. When they got back to the Pine Street parking lot, the place was full of bikes, soldiers, and visitors. I was impressed by both the number of people participating and the age range - from pre-teens to seniors.
The show 'n shine event had about 40 bikes registered, perhaps more; the silent auction had dozens of items, and there was live music, vendors, a fashion show and, of course, the Admiral's Post patio for beer and food. The Post, of course, is on private property so is not bound by the town's draconian patio bylaws that hamper our main street restaurants.
Overall a great day for the event and a really great time. The rain held off, the people were enjoying themselves, everyone seemed to be in a good mood. This year saw many more sponsors than ever before. And everyone got to see how motorcyclists can help a good cause (the money goes to help wounded soldiers and their families).
This year again I got to bring greetings from the town, standing onstage along with Lt. Colonel Mills and Inspector John Trude. It's always been my honour to welcome people who come out in support of the troops and their families. Paul put a cat among the pigeons when he suggested I was running for mayor, but it was just to rattle some cages.
And despite some initial hiccups, kudos are due to the town staff who helped this event get going and running smoothly. I understand from Paul that a couple of staff really put some time and effort into helping late last week. I didn't see any staff or other members of council there today, but I might have missed them (they might have seen how well building-side patios operate, too!). Nor did I see anyone from the BIA - but I was told the BIA wants to be more involved in future.
Congrats to everyone involved, and to Paul and Wendy for hosting another great event, and to everyone who helped pull it all together.
The show 'n shine event had about 40 bikes registered, perhaps more; the silent auction had dozens of items, and there was live music, vendors, a fashion show and, of course, the Admiral's Post patio for beer and food. The Post, of course, is on private property so is not bound by the town's draconian patio bylaws that hamper our main street restaurants.
Overall a great day for the event and a really great time. The rain held off, the people were enjoying themselves, everyone seemed to be in a good mood. This year saw many more sponsors than ever before. And everyone got to see how motorcyclists can help a good cause (the money goes to help wounded soldiers and their families).
This year again I got to bring greetings from the town, standing onstage along with Lt. Colonel Mills and Inspector John Trude. It's always been my honour to welcome people who come out in support of the troops and their families. Paul put a cat among the pigeons when he suggested I was running for mayor, but it was just to rattle some cages.
And despite some initial hiccups, kudos are due to the town staff who helped this event get going and running smoothly. I understand from Paul that a couple of staff really put some time and effort into helping late last week. I didn't see any staff or other members of council there today, but I might have missed them (they might have seen how well building-side patios operate, too!). Nor did I see anyone from the BIA - but I was told the BIA wants to be more involved in future.
Congrats to everyone involved, and to Paul and Wendy for hosting another great event, and to everyone who helped pull it all together.
