One hundred and twenty motorcycles and 245 participants roared out of Wright Park on Saturday in a parade that stopped traffic.
Thunder on the Plains Inc. jumped off to its fourth year this weekend as more than two hundred people gathered for food, fun, contests and games. The rally benefited military families and the American Cancer Society.
There were two big eye-catchers: The poker run, which was a little different from last year, and the motorcycle parade.
"It's not a poker run anymore. We changed it, now it's a marble run," said Shirley Bogner, registration chairman for the rally.
So instead collecting poker chips to get the best hand, bikers collected marbles that were worth points and were designated by color.
Kim Cunningham earned the most points. In a surprising turn of events, she won first and second place in the marble run, and her son Brent won a 2010 Harley Davidson FXDC SuperGlide Custom 96-inch TC Engine in a motorcycle giveaway.
Kim won $750 for first and $250 for second. She donated her second-place prize to the American Cancer Society, which receives proceeds from the marble run.
The proceeds from the bike giveaway will also be donated to a good cause. The money goes to the families of military men and women who are serving overseas.
"One year we gave a little gal, she lived in Garden City, and we gave them $150 and she called me the day she got it. She thanked me and was crying because they were about to shut her electricity off, and that would pay her electricity bill," said Bogner.
Helping military families is just one reason behind Thunder on the Plains Inc.
"We have some fantastic volunteers that work day and night to put this on, and make it good," she said.
It wasn't immediately clear how much money was raised on Saturday, but last year the group gave more than $12,000 to military families, Bogner said. To date, more than $62,000 has been given out.
"All the money that we make from this goes to that, and we just keep enough money for start-up money next year," she said.
After the poker run, there were biker games like a slow race, a ball drop and a variation on the wacky trike race.
But the big eye-catcher was the parade, as more than a hundred bikers revved their engines in Wright Park and rode through Dodge City.
Traffic literally stopped on 14th Avenue as police escorted the parade south to Wyatt Earp Boulevard and then back to the park.
The day concluded with live music by Thief and Slick Richard and a steak dinner.
In the end, all the bikes and people in Wright Park were an impressive sight that will return for its fifth year next summer.
|
|
|
One hundred and twenty motorcycles and 245 participants roared out of Wright Park on Saturday in a parade that stopped traffic.
Thunder on the Plains Inc. jumped off to its fourth year this weekend as more than two hundred people gathered for food, fun, contests and games. The rally benefited military families and the American Cancer Society.
There were two big eye-catchers: The poker run, which was a little different from last year, and the motorcycle parade.
"It's not a poker run anymore. We changed it, now it's a marble run," said Shirley Bogner, registration chairman for the rally.
So instead collecting poker chips to get the best hand, bikers collected marbles that were worth points and were designated by color.
Kim Cunningham earned the most points. In a surprising turn of events, she won first and second place in the marble run, and her son Brent won a 2010 Harley Davidson FXDC SuperGlide Custom 96-inch TC Engine in a motorcycle giveaway.
Kim won $750 for first and $250 for second. She donated her second-place prize to the American Cancer Society, which receives proceeds from the marble run.
The proceeds from the bike giveaway will also be donated to a good cause. The money goes to the families of military men and women who are serving overseas.
"One year we gave a little gal, she lived in Garden City, and we gave them $150 and she called me the day she got it. She thanked me and was crying because they were about to shut her electricity off, and that would pay her electricity bill," said Bogner.
Helping military families is just one reason behind Thunder on the Plains Inc.
"We have some fantastic volunteers that work day and night to put this on, and make it good," she said.
It wasn't immediately clear how much money was raised on Saturday, but last year the group gave more than $12,000 to military families, Bogner said. To date, more than $62,000 has been given out.
"All the money that we make from this goes to that, and we just keep enough money for start-up money next year," she said.
After the poker run, there were biker games like a slow race, a ball drop and a variation on the wacky trike race.
But the big eye-catcher was the parade, as more than a hundred bikers revved their engines in Wright Park and rode through Dodge City.
Traffic literally stopped on 14th Avenue as police escorted the parade south to Wyatt Earp Boulevard and then back to the park.
The day concluded with live music by Thief and Slick Richard and a steak dinner.
In the end, all the bikes and people in Wright Park were an impressive sight that will return for its fifth year next summer.
