What a way to kick off 2009~ THANK YOU!

Steve Drumright (manager of the Mountain View Wal-Mart) has joined forces with Bikers United, and generously presented us with a check in the amount of $2,000 to help support our community involvement. We would also like to thank Community Involvement Coordinator, Kim Prine for all her help and support in making this happen.

5th Annual Bicycle Safety Event May 8th

A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who helped make our 5th annual bicycle "Safety In Motion" event such a huge success! So many members, sponsors, businesses, fellow bike organizations, and friends all united together and put a TON of smiles on so many children's faces!

Big THANK YOU goes to Tim Rosa for organizing and running this huge event this year. As you can imagine, it is a monumental task~ and everyone stepped right up and helped him out where needed.

We want to THANK our friends at the West Plains Optimist Club for once more co-hosting this event.

Also, a tremendous THANK YOU goes out to Bob Ford who ran his fanny off gathering bikes from hither & yon. He said he is determined to get even MORE bikes lined up for next year! AWESOME!

Joe and the good folks at Hi-Tech did another super job on the t-shirts and it was wonderful to see even more kids this year happily wearing them during the event!

Neal from "Spring Dipper" in Mammoth Spring was back supporting us again this year, and very busy scooping up 10 of everyone's favorite flavors. He said that he had a great time!

We also had the awesome clowns "Miss Busy Bee" and "Airhead Ed" back, putting lots of smiles on facess while making fun balloon art for the children.

Kenny Parton once more faced the smoke and flames manning the grill, and actually RAN OUT of hot dogs this year....... was it at 600? 700? WOW! THANKS Kenny!

B.U. member Lin Jewell handing Rhonda Singletary some bread & water Thursday on July 9, 2009, at Ziggie's Cafe in West Plains for the MDA Lock-Up ..... what a guy! Due to a family emergency in the Ford family, Rhonda Singletary graciously stepped behind the bars for Bob. For two hours, several B.U. members were on their phones, coming by to donate, and looking through the phone book begging for pledges to get Rhonda out of jail. Even the Ford's grandson was on the phone to family & friends getting $$ in pledges. The total B.U. pledges for Jerry's Kids was $1,110.00. WOW! GREAT JOB!!!

FLOAT TRIP
On July 15th, our members were treated to a wonderfully cooool day on the White River, thanks to Rick Smith. Everyone met up at "Twin Bridges", one of our long time sponsors for a very FUN time! You couldn't have asked for a better day, the weather was perfect for the 4 and a half hour canoe trip. Though we had a small group of 5 canoes and 2 tubes, we had a GREAT time, both on and in the water. (thank you to Sam for the "entertainment!") A few other members also joined us afterwards for a BBQ at the campsite. We hope even more members will join in on the fun at our next excursion!

Bonnie Davis

Ride to Rockbridge July 16th

Nineteen bikes, 24 riders, plus a carload of fun folks took to the road on July 16th to visit another one of Bikers United long time sponsors, "The Rainbow Trout & Game Ranch" in Rockbridge, Mo. For those of us who had never been there before (like hubby & me) what a BEAUTIFUL place!

All of us first took care of our growling stomachs in their nice and cozy restaurant as we sat down to a great brunch, and scrumptious desserts, served by a very pleasant staff. Afterwards, we walked the grounds, and enjoyed the sites which included the old bank, the Grist Mill with its "Pub" where you can sit and enjoy refreshments while watching the numerous trout being caught as the water cascades over the dam. MUCH to see, do, and enjoy!

If you want to get away for a day, weekend, or even longer, the "Ranch" is definitely the place to go. Since we did not get to "take it all in," we will certainly be back! Thank you to Bobby Pankey for leading a great ride out there and back. Bonnie Davis

(please see Photo Gallery for more great pictures of that day!)

Please say THANK YOU and WELCOME to our newest Corporate Sponsor, Ridge Crest Plaza Inn and Suites. They offer many amenities including clean reasonable rooms, daily breakfast buffet, Sunday brunch, lunch specials, as well as dinner specials. I hear the Sea Food Buffet on Friday night is wonderful.

They are located off N. Hwy 63, next to the fairgrounds. Pictured is Bikers United President James Mayfield handing a corporate certificate to owner, Leroy Martin. Members from left to right are - Lin Jewell, Marsha & Bob Ford, Terri Pierce, Brandy Alterman, Harry Pierce, and Sandra & Bobby Pankey.

Sharon Jewell

PLAY BALL!!!

Friday, Sept. 4th was "Care to Learn" night at the Springfield Cardinals game. Marsha Ford sold tickets through her son-in-laws office in Springfield, who is Dr. Gary Meek. 100% of the first 200 tickets sold were donated by Meek Chiropractic to the Care to Learn Fund.

Everyone seemed to have a great time.. Yes, we had hot dogs, brats, popcorn and I know nothing about adult beverages. There were several awesome plays, and everyone there got very excited when in the bottom of the 9th inning, Daryl Jones drove in the winning run. Final score was Springfield 3-Tulsa Drillers 2.. For those of you who couldn't be there, the fireworks after the game were spectacular and well worth the price of admission. They did show the B.U. members on the Big Screen and announce that we were there.

We experienced rain most of the way to Springfield, not a drop of rain during the game and encountered a lot of fog on the way home. S.J.

MoDOT CLEAN-UP DAY

Thank you to both "Mother Nature" and a crew of 25 B.U. members who showed up at 9 am on Saturday, Aug. 29th at Howell Oregon parking lot to help with our "MoDOT Highway Cleanup. Our stretch was a 1.5 mile section of Hwy 63, and armed with bug spray, pickers, and bags, we not only cleaned but also found many "treasures." Most went into the bags, but some, like the $$, went into James' pocket! Don't let it ever be said that cleaning can not be profitable!

Thanks to the efforts of all who came to help, we collected 16 bags of trash and were done in less than an hour! Enough time left to go eat a hearty breakfast at Jimmie's afterwards. Thank yous go out to Bonnie for organizing this, to James for getting the "Grab Sticks" and to Bob Ford for making the "Stick & Picks." Bonnie says "Get those thermals out for our next go around in 3 months!"

Look for the BIKERS UNITED MoDOT signs on Hwy 63 by Howell Oregon Electric and by Olden turn off...

MDA Telethon

On September 7th, several members of Bikers United used the day off of work (Labor Day) for a very good cause. We were invited to be a part of the MDA telethon in Springfield, held at Bass Pro. Our responsibilities were to be a part of a 2 hour shift, and after watching the training video, we took turns manning the phones to take the calls for donations. It was a fun experience, and it was neat to also be "behind the scenes" and get to watch how the telethons are run and directed. The phone lines were busy and there were many pledges and donations coming in. Thank you to all of our members who were able to participate in this event!

PINK RIBBON BENEFIT- October 10, 2009
Bikers United's 4th annual Pink Ribbon Ride for Breast Cancer Awareness on Saturday began at McDonald's with breakfast from 8 am to 10 am. Part of the proceeds from sales were generously donated to the event by owner/manager Norma Hilburn, daughter Andi, and their wonderful crew worked hard while decked out in our Pink Ribbon t-shirts! We can't THANK them enough for their participation and joining B.U. in making this event such a huge success! All their registers were open for Pink Ribbon, and several B.U. members heard people going through the drive through telling the servers to please give proceeds to Pink Ribbon. People of the Ozarks are truly generous and thoughtful!

A little after 10 am (when it warmed up, sorta) 20 bikes took a short "brisk" ride before showing up at the Meeting Place to get warmed up and enjoy lunch. Special thanks to everyone who generously donated food, made or brought desserts, or donated the great items to auction off... that was a lot of fun! Also want to thank the clean up crew who stayed after to help. Please know that we appreciate all of you that took the time out of your busy weekend to join us in helping local cancer patients with medications, transportation and other needs.

Also, thanks to everyone who purchased a Pink Ribbon shirt or merchandise to help the cause. There are still a few pink and grey shirts available, so let's help Rhonda get them sold so she can give OMC a BIG check SOON!!

Let's all give Rhonda Singletary a BIG "HOO-RAA" for putting this benefit together. This event is very special to her, and lets all let her know what a great job she does. These benefits are a monumental task, and once again she did great!

Christmas Parade

What is it with Mother Nature "raining on our Parade?" And that she did, literally! The theme was "A Rockin' Christmas" and although we didn't receive a prize in our category this year, Bikers United had a great looking float to be proud of! The Fords did an awesome job decorating their Mule, and Bob enjoyed leading the way for our float, packing the candy that was tossed to the kids. Some lucky recipients along the parade route were even tossed a few t-shirts and hats.

I would like to pass on a big THANK YOU to the Pankeys for the use of their truck, flat bed, and a warm place to work on the float. To those of you who generously gave of your time and expertise... those who bravely trusted us with their "Rides" for the float... and those who showed up and rode bikes... or ran along side the float tossing sweets~ YOU ROCK!

God bless all of you, and may your New Year be filled with all you deserve and blessed with love. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL! S.J. (more pictures on the web site)