Wack's 4th Annual Make-A-Wish Ride
Wack's 4th Annual Make-A-Wish Ride. A great ride with some old and new friends.
Make-A-Wish. For some children with life threatening illnesses it is a chance to do something that they have dreamed of but would not ever have a prayer of accomplishing without the time and dedication of the individuals that comprise the Make-A-Wish foundation. The mission statement of the Make-A-Wish Foundation is: “We grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy.” Since it was formed, the Northeast New York Chapter has granted more than 1,200 wishes and grants around 100 wishes each year. The money raised by Wacks’ Make-A-Wish Ride greatly enhances the Northeast Chapters’ ability to accomplish that mission.
For the last four years, Wack has been leading a team of dedicated individuals to organize and execute Wacks’ Make-A-Wish Ride. We were fortunate enough to be allowed to attend the organizational meetings and we covered that aspect of the ride in last month’s issue. This year the team raised approximately $28,000 for the Northeast Chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. It takes great enthusiasm, great dedication and a great leader to accomplish this monumental task year after year.
The ride forms at the Full Moon Bar & Grill on Lake Sunnyside Road. It was there that 230 bikes and riders and approximately 150+ passengers gathered to enjoy a day of riding with Wack and his team. While at the Full Moon I was able to meet Sport from Sporty’s Iron Duke Saloon, Jess (Double H Ride host) and Mike Duggan. I see each of these individuals throughout the year but it is rare to see these icons of biking in this area on the same ride which indicates to me that this ride is worth attending.
I have a new toy in the arsenal of equipment for the magazine. I finally got my hands on a helmet-cam and this was to be the first ride that we were going to use it. Our plans are to add more video to the magazine. Karen (my better half) would be manning the fixed position video camera to record the departure and arrival of the ride while I would be shooting the on-board video from the bike using the helmet cam. This video stuff is all new to us but we believe that if we can learn to get it right it will add a whole new dimension to the magazine.
The ride departed the Full Moon Bar & Grill and headed to the Wayside Inn in Hudson Falls, NY. Those of you who are frequent readers of the magazine know that in the last issue I complained heavily that the Warren County Sheriff’s Department was not supporting the charity rides as it should. I was pleasantly surprised to see a Warren County Deputy Sheriff handling traffic control at the major intersection that we had to maneuver through. We arrived at the Wayside Inn where the cold beverages and hot dogs awaited us. While we were there, Whiskey Walker showed up and it was nice to be able to meet him this year. We usually attend each of his events but this year it did not work out. As expected, he was quick to highlight the error in our scheduling and we all had a good laugh.
The ride departed the Wayside Inn and proceeded up Route 4 and then onto Route 22 to Granville, NY. At Granville, we stopped at the Forum. I had never been there before and it was a very pleasant place to spend some time. I will say though that the service was not as prompt as I would have expected but after a while everyone was served. I spent some time with Jet of Boozefighters Chapter 80 and he showed me a book that he had written. It seems that he has recently been ordained and now it is Reverend Jet. Chapter 80 is making him the Chaplain and the standing joke is they should change his road handle from “Jet” to “Rev Jet”. I did not have the time to browse the book but I am trying to get a copy from Jet so that I can.
It was not long before the command to mount up was given and we were off and heading to our next destination which was the Hartford Town Tavern in Hartford, NY. The Tavern was hosting one of their annual horse shoe competitions so parking was at a premium. The fact that there was an Arts and Craft Fair going on as well did not do much to alleviate the parking situation. One of the neighbors across the street from the Tavern opened up her property to the ride so that we could get some of the bikes off the street. I have been to the Tavern so many times this year I think I should have earned frequent visitor mileage. To avoid the hassle, I rode up over the hill, cut left and headed to the Stewarts Shop to top off the bike and down a Pepsi. I then travelled back over to the Tavern and hung out with the crowd. When the ten minute warning was given, I mounted up and rode over the hill to position myself to shoot the ride as it came over the top of the hill after leaving the Tavern. When I examined the video I am glad I did this because it turned out to be some of the best video I shot of the ride.
I joined the ride and we proceed on Route 149 until it joined with Route 4 North. We passed through Fort Ann, NY where the Fort Ann Volunteer Department Fire Police had the traffic control in hand. We then headed west on Route 149 to our final stop at the Adirondack Bar & Grill. Upon our arrival, the all you can eat Spaghetti Dinner was waiting as was the band and the beverage tent. The staff at the Adirondack Bar & Grill had everything in place, well organized and it was reflected in the prompt and fast service. There were 400+ people there and I think I waited 5 minutes in line for dinner and I do not remember ever waiting for a beverage. Way to go Adirondack Bar and Grill. North Country Heliflite was on hand to offer helicopter rides and three sky divers entertained the crowd with a ‘chute jump.
Jake Thomas of WGNA 107.7 was on hand to perform the duties of Master of Ceremonies and the raffles and prizes were awarded. When it became apparent that the tickets that I possessed did not have any winning attributes I departed the event. A nice pleasant ride home via the east side of Lake George and up through the village of Lake George made for the end of a perfect riding day.
I want to extend a special thanks to Wack and his staff for making Karen and I feel welcome while we reported on this event. It was an honor to be allowed to participate and we hope that we can donate our time next year and assist in any small way that we can. The cause is just, the staff is great and that alone makes the investment of time and effort worth it.
See you in 2012.