Chairman of the Board
Jim Elgin
PO Box 1658
Hilliard, Ohio 43026
1-800-25BIKER
614-319-3644
Chairman of the Board@abate.com

    May Is Motorcycle Awareness Month! Join us at A.D. Farrow Co. The Northstar Dealership @ Interstate 71 exit 131 (Sunbury Exit ), to make this the biggest and best Awareness Rally Parade of all time here in The State of Ohio, Be there, Rain or Shine, we Ride at Noon Sharp. May is a very busy Month for us all over the State with, the 4th, Region 14 Awareness Run, 5th State Awareness Run, 6th Louie Run, 12th State Board of Directors Meeting and Region 5 Cancer Run, 17th MRF Bikers inside the Beltway D.C., 19th, Region 4, Awareness Run, Region 6, Jay Shanks Run, and Armed Forces Day Run to the Chillicothe Veterans Hospital, 20th Region 8 Look Twice Run, Blessing of the Bike, Dayton Ohio, 26th Region 9 Madison County Anniversary Run, Region 14 Memorial Run, we got it going on every weekend this Month so “Git Yer Scooter Out” and put down some miles, in support of our Brothers and Sisters here in ABATE of Ohio, Inc.

    State Legislative Director, Scott “Woody” Wood, has been pushing all the buttons to bring our Handlebar Bill HB 316 sponsored by State Representative Cliff Rosenberger to the forefront, we are scheduled to have our 3rd and final hearing before the House Transportation Committee April 25th and with a little luck on this date our Bill will pass out of Committee to the President of the House, to be put on the Floor for discussion and a vote. State Senator Tim Schaffer, sponsor of our Right of Way Bill SB 92 is ready to introduce the last amendment proposed for this bill and we hope this will be the final push to get this Bill moving to update many Statues that are way out of date. Now is the time to call on your Locally Elected Officials and ask them to support our initiatives designed to make travel safer for all commuters on the Public Highways and Byways in the Great State of Ohio.

    June Jam 2012, Presale Tickets are on sale now for only $20.00, if you have not done so already, Buy One Now! This Event is supposed to be our Biggest State Fundraiser every year, if you can attend the State Party or Not, makes no difference, buy a ticket so we can keep the cost of Membership down, we have not raised the Price of Membership for 7 years and we would like to keep it that way.

    NEWS FLASH: April 12, 2012, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder signed Public Act #98 (SB 0291) into law. Michigan is now a Choice State after 46 years under a Mandatory Helmet Law.

        United We Stand,
        Jim “SNAFU” Elgin

    Happy Holidays One and All! As many of you know every year at our November State Board of Directors Meeting, ½ of the Offices on the State Board excluding Ex Officio and Region Directors are up for election to a 2 year term. This year all Offices keyed to the Executive Directors Office per our By-laws were voted on and here are the results: Executive Director = Ed Schetter, State Treasurer = Lynn Hardin, State Deputy Director B = Paul Rayl (Effective Immediately), State Deputy Director D = Jim “Bushman” Sprague, State Secretary = Barbara Tittle, State Events Director = Vacant, NCOM Regional Co-Director = Haskel Combs. All Terms will commence January 1, 2012 unless otherwise noted.
    Kristy Hawthorne submitted her resignation as Ohio MRF Representative, due to increased responsibilities in her real job and demands on the home front, we Thank Kristy for all her dedicated years of service to ABATE of Ohio, Inc., and wish her well in her career and private endeavors. As the leading SMRO in the State of Ohio, ABATE of Ohio, Inc., holds a biennial election for our endorsement of a person to be considered by the Motorcycle Riders Foundation Board of Directors as the MRF Ohio State Representative, due to Kristy’s resignation we also held an Interim Election for Ohio MRF Rep at the November State Board of Directors Meeting and the results were a tie between Ralph Buss and Scott “Woody” Wood, after the results were read Woody withdrew his name from consideration and Ralph was declared the winner of the contest. Ralph’s name will be forwarded to the MRF BOD for consideration.
    State Legislative Seminar 2/4/ 2012, will be held at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 5100 Upper Metro Place, Dublin, OH 43017 (614-790-9000) make your reservations now and get the reduced rate. We need as many Members to attend this year’s Seminar as possible because the focus this year will be what direction and what topics are important to the Members of ABATE of Ohio, Inc., what are your expectations of your SMRO, you joined ABATE of Ohio, Inc., because you are a Grass Roots Activist and Freedom Fighter, come to the Seminar and express your thoughts so we all can share your vision,” For the Members by the Members” is our Moto, we need input from our Members and the Seminar is a great forum to gather this knowledge. Sell it and be there. Give someone a ABATE Membership for a holiday gift, we need to triple our Membership right now and you are our best salesperson for the task.

    United We Stand,
   Jim “Snafu” Elgin

    The Motorcycle Riders Foundation, Meeting Of The Minds, September 22-25, 2011, in Romulus Michigan, hosted by ABATE of Michigan, was EXCELLENT! Abate of Ohio, Inc. had 16 Members in attendance and this may be our best showing at this great annual event since we last hosted the MOTM. The Hotel Lobby was in the process of being remodeled so that was a drag but the rest of the package was most excellent and the Hospitality Suit provided by ABATE of Michigan was always a good place to be after the Day’s session was complete to carry on discussions about the information introduced in General Session or in the Breakout Rooms. There were 20 Topics covered in the 4 Breakout sessions. 5 rooms, 1 Topic in each room, for approximately 1hour and 45 minutes per topic. Problem, I wanted to go to all 20 of the Breakout Topics, this is where having 16 people in attendance really works well, we would meet and decide who was going to what Breakout room before each session, so we were able to cover all the information being offered at the Conference. At the end of the day we would meet up in the Hospitality suit and exchange information and enjoy some food and refreshments. Great Job, MRF and ABATE of Michigan!
    Looking back I would like to Thank Region 14 for the great ride and party at their 27th Annual Toy Run, I was able to attend their Toy Run for the 2nd time in my life 9/17/11. On September 28th, State Deputy Director C, Kolman Fuzy and I met at the State Office in Hilliard @ 6am and rode to Lansing Michigan to support Freedom Ride 2, ABATE of Michigan and its supporters in the State Legislature have for the third year in a row has been able to get a Helmet Repeal Bill to the Governor’s Desk only to have it pulled back into Committee this year because some Legislators have offered Amendments to the Bill. This is simply a way to keep the bill away from the Governors Pen, see Michigan’s Legislative Sessions are 1 year, so if a Joker introduces a frivolous Amendment to a bill already passed by both Houses it is sent back to Committee to hear the Amendment and so far the Committee has rejected all amendments proposed after the Bill was originally sent to the Governor and then pulled back into committee, well it looks like our Brothers and Sisters to the North will remain in bondage once again.
    It is with heavy heart I must tell you of 2 more Right of Way Crashes involving 3 of our Members, all from Clinton County. On September 24th Steve and Kara Gasaway were almost home after a grand day of riding and some 28 year old woman all jacked up on prescription drugs goes left of center and hits their bike head-on and rips Steve’s left leg off above the knee and just about tore his left arm off and Kara lost her left foot, they both were released from the Hospital October 20th and there is going to be a Benefit for them at Chiefs Lake November 5th at 6pm, I plan on being there, how about you? Next Dempsey Eggars was t-boned by an insurance man (of all people) who ran a stop sign and flattened him. Dempsey lost a spleen and was very banged up but it looks like he will survive. I am asking all of you to keep them in your prayers so that they may recover as fully as humanly possible.
    Region 9 will be holding their 25th Annual Toy Run November 12th and Cyclefest USA will be in Cincinnati November 19th&20th, Ken Howell and Beth Parker can use some help staffing the booth so give Ken or Beth a call and volunteer, Cyclefest puts together a really good program so come and check it out. One last thought, the Holidays are upon us so why not give a Membership to someone close to you for a holiday present?

    United We Stand,
   Jim “Snafu” Elgin

    Hello Fellow Freedom Fighters, just back from the Easyrider’s Rodeo in Chillicothe, Ohio. Hottest one ever on Saturday followed by wet and cold Sunday afternoon all the way through Monday afternoon when we packed up and headed north, I do not like to pack up a camp in the rain because that means in the next day or 2 you have to set up your tents and things in the sun to dry them out so you can pack them away until next year, I will not need my camping gear again until next March when Daytona rolls around. State Newsletter Director, Diane Thompson, helped me work the booth Thursday and Friday, Ed Schetter and crew made it in about 1pm on Friday and by the time they had their houses built and got something to eat it was time to close the building for the day. Saturday I turned it over to Ed so I could come back to the Office and take care of a few things. All in all, it worked out pretty well.
    Thursday, September 22, at noon, we will be meeting up at the ABATE State Office for a group ride to Romulus, Michigan, for the MRF Meeting of the Minds. I always look forward to this event each year, this is the place to get your hands on the latest technology and tools to promote Motorcycle Safety and Awareness from all around the world. Anyone who is planning on attending and can be here at noon on the 22nd is more than welcome to join us. Leaving at this time, there will be no need to hurry and we will get into town well before rush hour. Speaking of MOTM, ABATE of Ohio, Inc., has been approved by the MRF BOD to host MOTM 2013, and have chosen The Embassy Suites Hotel, in Dublin, Ohio as the location of the event. So mark your calendars and step up and volunteer to help staff this great annual event. Next month I will cover some of the highlights fron this years MOTM.

    United We Stand,
   Jim “Snafu” Elgin

    September Already! IT will not be long and the leaves will be turning and the landscape in the Ohio Countryside will put on a Color Scheme Show that will be absolutely breath taking. Is this why the Month of September is so deadly for Motorcyclist in Ohio? That is what the records show for the last 5 years, the Month of September is lethal to Motorcyclist in our great State, so if you are planning a fall foliage ride, Please make plans for stops off the pavement and out of harm’s way for your photographs and be extra vigilant from this point forward about Distracted Drivers and Deer and other Wild and or Domestic Animals on the move due to rut and or harvest time, especially at sunup or sundown. Why? Because we need each and every one of you to help us carry on the good fight, besides, we have had enough heart aches for one year.
    ABATE of Ohio, Inc., has a very busy calendar for the Month of September. Region 5 will hold their Booty Run 9/3/11, Region 7 is putting on their big fun Grub-n-Suds Run 9/10/11, Region 4 is holding their Rights Ride, Region 5 will hold their Toy Run, Region 9 the Pickaway County 13th Anniversary Run and Region 14 has it 27th Annual Toy Run all on 9/17/11, what a busy day. We are not finished yet, the Motorcycle Riders Foundation will be holding the 27th annual Meeting of the Minds hosted by ABATE of Michigan 9/22-25/11 and Region 1 has its Annual Help me Grow Run, good thing there are only 30 days in the Month of September, I do not think I could handle much more fun in one Month.
    Scot “Woody” Wood, is doing a fantastic job working the Statehouse, do not miss his article, even though both Houses are on summer recess, Woody is still working it hard. Every September at our bi-monthly State Board of Directors Meeting we open nominations for ½ of the Offices on the Board of Directors for election to a 2 year term, per By-laws this year all Offices keyed to the Executive Director are open for nomination at the State BOD Meeting 9/10/11, nominations will be closed and the election held at the November State Board of Directors Meeting 11/12/11 Term begins 1/1/12. They are as follows: Executive Director, State Deputy Directors B & D, State Secretary, State Treasurer, State Events Director, Web / IT Administrator, ABATE of Ohio Foundation Seat, interim State Products Director. If you are a Member in good standing and would like to run for any of these Offices, send a resume to the State Office no later than 9/9/11 or come to the BOD Meeting the next day and present it in person.

    United We Stand,
   Jim “Snafu” Elgin

    Welcome Fellow Freedom Fighters, hump month, July. June Jam was a great good time for all the hearty souls who attended or bought a ticket in advance but did not attend, all weekend I was looking around at our Members in attendance and I saw many smiling faces and heard much laughter and joy being had all around me, this is exactly what our State Party is supposed to be about.

    Region 6 had the advance party this year, led by Carla Lawson Region 6 Director, accompanied by Carla’s husband the unstoppable Dave Lawson, Bill Jenks, Kirk Goings and Mindy Powell, got there Wednesday evening to set up camp and be ready to show vendors to their spots and start getting things ready for the rest of the set up crew due in Thursday. This was a godsend; I had diligently prepacked everything I could think of Wednesday at the State Office into the Products Trailer, leaving only the snow fence and fence polls to be loaded Thursday Morning into the bed of my pickup truck so I could hook onto the Trailer and get to Logan and help organize the set up. But as usual one thing led to another and I did not leave the Office until 2pm, when the plan was to leave the Office at 10am, Carla and Crew had things well in hand and by the time I got there, they were ready to get started on the fence set up and trash receptacle deployment. As A matter of fact, all weekend long, day or night every time I turned around that crew was changing trash can liners or checking on everyone to see if they needed a break or a hand or anything to help out aaand managed the Poker Run Saturday morning. WOW! What A Team, Great Job, Thank You One and all. The only down side to the Jam this year was attendance was low again and we lost almost $3,000.00, when this event is supposed to be our big fund raising event of the year, we ended up going in the hole.

    July, I see 10 Region Events and 3 State Events and 3 events sponsored by our supporters, so many opportunities and so little money to make it happen. The 3 State Events are: The Wauseon National 7/15-17/11, The AMA Vintage Days 7/22-24/11 and Wetzelland 7/29-31/11, aaaand Yes! I need a bunch of help for all 3 events, so take it back to your Regions and get me some volunteers, to show some support for the Organizations who support us.

    August, I see 6 Region Events on the schedule starting with Region 4 Rights Ride on the 6th, do not forget the first June Jam Committee Meeting for the 2012 June Jam at the State Office on August 7, @ noon, the weekend of the 20th we have Region 7 and the TSIA Party, Region Zero and the Ole Smart Fart Run, Region 6 will be hosting the Treasure Hunt Run and Region 9 will have the Night Poker Run, how about getting out and seeing how many of these events you can attend regardless of which Region is hosting

    United We Stand,
   Jim “Snafu” Elgin

    July! Where did June go? Time fly’s when you are having fun and we all had a blast at Margaritaville, which is the Original Margaritaville, 212 Fremont Ave. (US 6), Sandusky, Ohio. The Owner, Bob Crawford, invited us to bring the State Products Trailer and the Foundation Raffle Bike up and spot them at Margaritaville for the entire Ohio Bike Week Event, so we did. Now let me tell you what a great place to be. Bob’s staff was just the best bunch of people, the food was exceptional and the Margaritas’, wellll, they seemed to be about the best way we found to end the day with a smile, so that is what we did order a couple pitchers of Margaritas’ and sit around one of the tables on the deck and discuss the day and make a plan for the following day.

    One of the plans was for me and Diane Thompson to meet up with Dave and Carla and Kelsey Lawson, Region 6, John Shankster and Ruby Worchuck, Region 4, on the south end of Toledo, June 8th @ 9am, and ride up to Fowlerville Michigan, and join in the parade to the State Capitol Building in Lansing, Michigan for what may be the last Freedom Rally. No worries, the A team, Jim Sprague Miss Viv Adams, T.J. and Mary Kay Johnson, had things under control in Sandusky. Our brothers and sisters in that State up North, have worked the grass roots legislative process about as well as it can be done the last two years getting a helmet repeal bill to the Governors’ desk only to have the Governor refuse to sign the Bill. Goodbye Jen, Hello Rick Snyder, the new Governor of the State of Michigan, and I am told Rick has stated that if the repeal bill reaches his desk he will sign it. I feel very strongly, our Brothers and Sisters in the Great State of Michigan will finally be free to choose whether or not to wear a helmet when they ride their Motorcycles this year. Great Job ABATE of Michigan!

    June Jam, The Woods at Kaeppner Place, Logan, Ohio, what a blast, I look forward to this event more than any other throughout the year. This is when the most of our Members gather in one place for a week end of fun and camaraderie, this one is better than the Awareness Rally or our Motorcycle Rights Seminar because more of us can get together for a weekend of relaxation and entertainment. The Team Work, the Host, the Setting, the Vendors, the Food, the Music, the country side is absolutely the best for Motorcycling. If you did not make it this year, buy your ticket in advance next year and be there. The June Jam is our main State Fund Raiser. Every Member in every Region needs to support this Event so we can make ends meet.

    United We Stand,
   Jim “Snafu” Elgin

    WOW! The Awareness Rally, April 30th, great turnout, great riding weather, fantastic job by our escorts, what a grand ride to the State Capitol Building for the around 400 Motorcycles including a large contingent of ABATE of Michigan Members and Officers led by Patty and Jinx Rahn, who participated in the parade to the Capitol to hear Governor Kasich’s Proclamation declaring May as Motorcycle Awareness Month, along with the 149 other Proclamations gathered around this Great State of Ohio by our hard working Members to celebrate May as Motorcycle Awareness Month, GREAT JOB TEAM! When we got to the Capitol Building our Street Occupancy Permit had been modified compared to the permits we secured for the last 5 years and this caused a major problem parking all the Motorcycles in the Parade this year to the point that Columbus Police Sgt. Joe Curmode had to lead a group of motorcycles on a lap around the State House so the traffic on Broad Street and Third Avenue could move, because we had things all jammed up trying to get parked and the bikes already pulled to the side of Third Avenue could get parked while the rest of us took a lap around our grand Capitol Building. Not to worry, we are working with Columbus Police Lt. Karl Barth and Officer Rita Green who run the Columbus Special Events Division and Rick Rossetti with the Columbus Division of Planning and Operations, to make sure we do not have the same problem May 5, 2012, the date we have already locked in for our Parade next year, MARK YOUR CALLENDARS.

    Mysteriously losing, the May 7th date for the parade this year and having to settle for April 30th afforded me an opportunity I could not pass up, the Region 7, 11th Annual Back in the Saddle, Awareness Ride, now this Parade is about 80 miles long with 2 rest stops along the way through most major burgs in Sandusky County, WOW! Another great ride and great day spent with about 85 other bikes on this Grand Tour of one of the beautiful Counties in our Great State, the ride ended at Shelluk’s and they were ready for us with good food and cold drinks as well as a mobile Bar-B-Que vendor who had great meal deals for all who were interested, I tried his combo dinner and could hardly eat it all, Thank You Region 7, for a wonderful time.

    Today we have 4 Regions who are having Awareness Events and Tomorrow Region 2 is having their Awareness Ride as well as the Moose Riders Blessing of the Bikes in Region 6 @ the University of Dayton, next Saturday the 21st I will be holding a Region 12 Meeting at The Witz End in Mentor, Ohio @ 4pm to continue the ongoing effort to get Region 12 on its feet and the next day, Sunday the 22nd the Columbus Chapter of The Teamster Motorcycle Association, is having their first Poker Run of the year and Dierks Bently will be visiting A.D.Farrow Co. at North Star to kick off his Miles and Music Motorcycle Ride and Concert for Kids Event, registration 10am -1pm ride to LC Pavilion leaves @ 1pm all proceeds benefit Nationwide Children’s Hospital, over 600 bikes expected and the following weekend is The R6 Jay Shanks Run and R14 Memorial Run on the 28th and that will just about rap up the month of May.

    June, OBW 2011 we will have the State Products Trailer and R Zero Trailer and the foundation Bike at Margaritaville for the 10 day event, the mind set is we can use the R Zero Trailer to set up Bike Show and or games for North Coast Thunder Productions if needed @ the Erie County Fairgrounds and YES! We need some help to do all this but not the 24 hour grind we have performed the last 4 years, so come out and play with us in Sandusky. Up Next is June Jam, All Hands ON Deck! That’s right June 24-25,2011 we are doing preregistration again this year, so buy your ticket now even if you are not planning to attend the State Party, this is our main fund raising Event for the State and we lost money last year and we can never let that happen again. All Regions have duties to perform at this event and shifts are broken down by what percentage each Regions total Membership equals in the whole State Membership Pie. Do not forget the Region Zero Dam Run on June 18th, this is always a good one. Well enough for now, don’t even get me started on July.

    United We Stand,
   Jim “Snafu” Elgin

    May is Motorcycle Awareness Month! So says Ohio Governor John R. Kasich in a Proclamation secured by ABATE of Ohio, Inc. State Government Relations Director Scott “Woody” Wood, working with Governor Kasich and his hard working staff. Thank You Governor Kasich and good job Woody! Now this time of year we are at a distinct disadvantage because most of us do not ride our Motorcycles in January and February because Ohio is just too darn cold during these months, so John Q. Public gets lazy and does not look out for Motorcycles because there are not very many of them on the road during the winter season. By the beginning of March many of us have our bikes ready for Daytona and when we get back home find many comfortable days, whenever it is not raining, during March and April, to put some miles down on our favorite mode of transportation, our Motorcycles.

   When May rolls around Ohio weather is warm enough to ride comfortably every day. Many of the 350,000 registered motorcycles around Ohio are on the road each day by now and this is why May is Motorcycle Awareness Month. This is why the Governor issues a Proclamation to make it so. This is why we stage a Police escorted Parade to the Statehouse, cosponsored by The Ohio Department of Public Safety and Motorcycle Ohio. We plan to read the Governors Proclamation and the other Proclamations we gather from around the State from County Commissioners and Sheriff’s and City Mayors and Police Chiefs and Township Trustee’s, we do all this to promote Motorcycle Awareness to the General Public, Look Twice Save a Life, Motorcycles are Everywhere! This is our Motto.

    All Motorcyclists regardless of the brand you choose to ride are welcome to ride with us in the Parade to the State Capitol April 30th , Rain or Shine. Again this year we are gathering at the A.D. Farrow Harley Davidson North Star Dealership in Sunbury, Ohio (I-71@Exit 131), Registration begins @ 9am till 11am when we roll out to begin the Parade at 11am sharp escorted by the Columbus Police Motor Corps led by Sgt. Joe Curmode, with the help of the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office and the Delaware Post of the Ohio Highway Patrol. I am telling you this is Ohio’s version of Rolling Thunder, the Southbound side of I-71 is shut down so our Parade is the only thing on the road, Motorcycles 2 by 2 as far as the eye can see, if you are a biker you must be a part of this great experience, the feeling is fantastic.

    News Flash, there is a new Motorcycle News podcast on I-tunes titled Mr Z, Biker Broadcasting biker.us FREE. Check it out, you may know some of the players on the 2011-04-12 show.

    United We Stand,
   Jim “Snafu” Elgin

    Hello Fellow Freedom Fighters! It is March, and time to give your scooter the once over before you head for Daytona or The Giant Motorcycle Swap Meet at the IX March 13th, or a County or Region Meeting, make sure your ride is road ready.

    Start with the Tires; check tread depth and air pressure (Yes, bagger riders too), air pressure is most important for good traction in a curve and for stopping you Motorcycle, this time of year the ambient temperature changes will affect the air pressure in your tires, check them often.
    Check your Brake Adjustment and or Brake Fluid level, you need to be able to stop as well as go.
    Moving on up, check the condition of your Battery; clean it, charge it (a metered battery charger will tell you the condition of the battery plates) make a judgment call if it will get you through the season, if in doubt replace it, go one step further remove you positive and negative battery cables thoroughly clean the contacts on the cables and the contacts on your bike, reattach them securely. (I like to use star washers at these contact points for the best union) because a loose or dirty connection on either one of these cables will cause a bad day for you and the electrical system of your pride and joy.
    Lights; Headlight, Tail light, Turn Signals, Brake lights, Front and Rear. There are switches attached to the front brake and a separate switch for the rear brake, they both use the same light filament in the tail light assembly but these switches wear out from time to time and need replaced. The purpose of these lights on your Motorcycle is communicating your intent. What that means is other road users can be forewarned if you plan to change course, change lanes, left turn, and right turn, slow down or stop, make sure all you lights are in working order.
    Next check your Cable Adjustments; Throttle and Clutch cables stretch and parts wear, you want a responsive throttle and a clutch that will completely disengage so you can maintain complete control of your machine.
    Rear View Mirrors; Ohio Law says you must have 2 rear view mirrors, that they are clean and adjusted properly.
    Last but not least check your Fuel Tank; how much gas is in the tank, do not worry about the fuel left in your tank from the end of last season just top off the tank with fresh fuel and it will run just fine, if you added a fuel stabilizer, shame on you, bikes in Ohio do not sit long enough to warrant using that stuff, it is for long term storage a year or better. But if you did use that stuff, drain the tank and refill with fresh fuel. Something I try to do is top off my tank when I am closing in on the home 20 at the end of a ride, this way I can jump on my bike after a quick pre-ride inspection and ride about 150 miles before fueling again, that is the range on my old bagger.

    Arrive Alive,
    Jim “Snafu” Elgin

    Welcome one and all to the first State Board of Directors Meeting to start the work of protecting the Rights of all Motorcyclists in the State of Ohio, in the year 2011. We need Members, make this your Number 1 Priority, in every Region and every County across the State, focus on keeping the Members we have now, and bring recently expired Members back and get after the Riders who do not know about the tools we give them to be proactive supporting the lifestyle they have chosen.

    The Cyclefest USA Motorcycle Show & Expo will be in Columbus at the Ohio State Fairground in the Voinovich Building, January 22-23, 2011. The Event being held in Region 9, we are asking Region 9 to help State Deputy Director C, Kolman Fuzy to staff the ABATE Booth during the weekend, with a little help from yours truly. The Progressive International Motorcycle Show at the IX Center in Cleveland is January 28-30. 2011. This is a huge show and we need support from all surrounding Regions to help State Deputy Director Tim ‘T.J.” Johnson staff this one, in the past Regions Zero and 16 and a few volunteers from the State Board of Directors, have done a great job handling this one, let’s see if we can get more Regions involved.

    Our State Seminar is right around the corner, sell this event at all levels get your Members there and sell advertising large or small it all helps pay the bottom line. Region 1 Swap Meet, March 20, 2011, this is a great one folks you need to check it out. Awareness Rally is April 30th, this year mark your Calendars, and get busy selling advertising now for this Event, we need to offset the $1,500.00 expense of this most important Annual Motorcycle Safety Awareness Program, pass the hat in your Home Regions and make a donation to support our Awareness Program, and it is a rain or shine Event so if it looks like rain be there anyway, I think we all have rain gear, use it.

    Ohio Bike Week, June Jam, Vintage Day’s, Wauseon Swap Meet, more State Events you can be involved with and have fun doing something good for the Motorcycling Community while you are at it. Opportunity Knocks, Will You Answer? We installed a brand new radiant heater in the Board Room at the State Office just in time for the January State Board Meeting and it sure made for a more comfortable meeting. I need to thank Ed Schetter for finding a brand new affordable unit, Scott Greentree and Tom Bloomer for some solid technical advice, and Ron Seitz for coming by the Office and servicing the frozen gas valve at the meter so I could turn it off when the time came to upgrade the ½ inch feed to a ¾ inch feed to power up the new heater and to Joe Pickens who I had talked to about the project and who came by the Office the Friday before the SBOD Meeting and kind of moved me out of the way and did a Master Craftsman job of running the gas lines and doing the finish work including installing and firing up our new heater , Way To Go 9er’s

    United We Stand,     Jim “Snafu” Elgin

    Happy New Year! And I hope everyone had a great and Merry Christmas with family and friends. With the New Year there will be a change in Administration in the State of Ohio, with incoming Governor elect John Kasich taking the helm. We have enjoyed a very productive working relationship with the Ohio Department of Transportation, Ohio Department of Public Safety and the Ohio Transportation Safety Office and Motorcycle Ohio throughout the years and hope the new administration keeps the lines of communication open for a free exchange of ideas to improve the Motorcycling experience in Ohio.

    At this time I want to welcome our new State Board of Directors Officers: Tim “TJ” Johnson, Kolman Fuzy, Diane Thompson, Scott Wood, Mike Stock, Dan Morgan, Kristy Hawthorne and Ex Officio Jim Bown, this is a great group of people to be working with and I am looking forward to the upcoming year with much pride and confidence that we will have a banner year in Membership growth and success promoting our events as this is our life blood to fund the corporation.

    Having said that, how do we go about doing it? Membership, every single Member, go out and get 2 New Members (we are going to need them now). Note: a former Member whose dues are 2 years lapsed is considered a New Member. We also need the next generation of Riders to groom to take our places in the State Motorcycle Rights Arena, so get after the young riders no matter what they ride or how they ride, remember they are not doing anything we did not do in our hey days, they just have much lighter and more throttle responsive machines to do it with. Promoting Events think outside the box. Facebook, thanks Ruby, has worked wonders in some areas, send your event info to all the Motorcycle Event Calendars, Radio Stations, get Fliers to our Business Sponsors they will help promote our events, and, they want to see us inside their doors for a visit even when we are not promoting an event just to chat.

    Good News! Our Prayers have been answered, Dan Morgan Jr., has come out of his coma and is coming back to us, the road back is not swift but steady, please keep Danny in your prayers.

    United We Stand,
    Jim “Snafu” Elgin

    Season’s Greetings Fellow Freedom Fighters, I want to talk about the 2010 Post-Season Motorcycle Safety Rider Group Meeting, held at The Ohio Department of Public Safety in the Motorcycle Ohio Room, November 3, 2010. In attendance representing the State of Ohio: Bob Secrest-Coordinator Motorcycle Ohio also Meeting Chairman, Michelle May- Director ODOT, Karen Castle-ODPS Public Information Officer, Felice Moretti and Bob Painter-OTSO Federal Programs, Mike Brining-OTSO LEL, Tom Hollingsworth-OTSO Traffic Statistics, Wendy Forbes-OTSO Driver Training Coordinator, Michael Weinman-OTSO Legislative Affairs, Dianna McConnaughey-OTSO License Support. Invitees were Jim Elgin, Mike Stock, Ken Howell, Scott Wood - ABATE of Ohio, Inc., Imre Szauter- AMA, Tom Whiteman- Stephanie’s Wings, Mike ”Beast” Stanley-COCC, Chuck Geggie-GWRA, Bill Bish-Ridin’ On Magazine, George Nitzsky-COC, Ohio.

    The agenda was quite ambitious and scheduled for 2 hours, we worked on it for 3 ½ hours and could of gone on longer. Some of the items we covered were, Recap/Review from Preseason Meeting: what were the issues? One of the issues presented at the previous meeting by Kristy Hawthorne-ABATE of Ohio, Inc., Legislative Director was that the Digest of Ohio Motor Vehicle Laws had no reference to Motorcycle Awareness, ODOT responded by adding a section for Motorcycle Awareness on page 25 of the newest edition of the Digest titled, SHARING THE ROAD WITH MOTORCYCLES, this is one example of the great working relationship the Motorcycle Community has with the current administrators at ODOT,ODPS, OTSO and Motorcycle Ohio, we get together twice a year, voice our concerns and State Agencies act on them, some items we have discussed in the past were Crack Sealer, Steel Plates, Lane Markings, Signage, Traffic Light Motorcycle Detection, the list goes on and in every case improvements were made, this is how the System should work and in Ohio it does

    Other items we discussed adding a Motorcycle Awareness segment to all Drivers Education Courses taught in Ohio and at this point Mike Stock followed by Ken Howell reported on the Awareness Class they teach to young people during their Drivers Ed classes at some Driving Schools in their area and how many students they have reached through the classes and Mike Stock sent a copy of the coarse in May to Bob Secrest as a possible pilot program that could be rolled out Statewide, also we watched some PSA Video Clips that ODOT ran this riding season on public access television and talked about some new ones they have planned as well as a Bill Board Add Campaign they are working on, HB 204, SB62, SB68 adding a breakdown of distractions to pin point inattention on State Crash Reports, definitions of a Motorcycle, 3-wheeled Motorcycles, why adding a stabilizer kit to your Motorcycle turns it into an Automobile (spring loaded 2-wheel kit for someone pulling a trailer). We were also given the best collection of statistics ever covering a breakdown of Endorsements, Registrations, Crashes, Fatalities by County for every County in the State and the web-sites we can go to, so we can verify the data and even refine it if we want, a most excellent meeting. A Huge THANK YOU to all involved preparing this meeting and a JOB WELL DONE.

                United We Stand
                Jim “ SNAFU “ Elgin

    It Is November, VOTE!!! Exercise your right as a member of a Democracy, get out and Vote on November 2, we have established many good working relationships at the State House, support those who have shown support for us. I will again be working as a Precinct Election Official for the State of Ohio, Franklin County Board of Elections on Election Day, doing my part to help further the Democratic Process; I hope you do your part to.
    The Motorcycle Riders Foundation, Meeting of the Minds, September 23-26, 2010, Peoria, Illinois. Hosted by ABATE of Illinois, great people. ABATE of Ohio, Inc. was well represented, Jim Elgin, Diane Thompson, Mary Kay and T.J. Johnson, Lionman, Jim Sprague, Kolman Fuzy, Tim Horetski, Garrison Whitman, Ken Howell, Scott Wood, and Barbara Tittle attended the Conference and we were able to cover every presentation offered during this 3 day event, we all came away with some new tools to help us further State Motorcycle Rights in the State of Ohio, and this is what this conference is all about, what is going on around the world and what is going on inside our own borders, what worked and what did not, Carol Downs and crew did a most excellent job putting this one together, Well Done! I talked with MRF President Kirk Willard about ABATE of Ohio, Inc., possibly sponsoring the MOTM 2013, and I will put this Item on the November 13th State Board of Directors Meeting Agenda for discussion.
    Region 11, Theresa Knipp, and Crew did a fantastic job setting up a really great First Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Run, October 9, 2010, in Ironton, Ohio. Every detail was worked out so all who participated got their money’s worth and then some. Diane Thompson her Daughter Lauren and I were able to attend and pitch in and give a little help where needed and Kat Moreland and Duck Alessi, rode down from Region 8, to ride and camp at the party at the end of the run, Bart Washington and the Initial Shock Band played and donated their time to the cause at the campground, so a good time was had by all. Great Job Team, it was a pleasure to work with the new group of Rising Stars in Region 11, this bunch is going to get it done. Theresa told me she is already working on setting up the 2nd Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Run for next year October 1, 2011, so mark your calendars you do not want to miss this one.
    A Special Thanks to the Dayton Motorcycle Club, for inviting ABATE of Ohio, Inc., to set up our Information Booth at the Hillclimb’s in Oregonia, Ohio, October 10th, you guys are the best. We always enjoy the wonderful show, when we can get away from the booth. Thanks to Ken Howell and Beth, Scott “Woody” and Susan Wood, Denny & Leigh Wichert and Diane for helping to staff the booth.
                United We Stand
                Jim “ SNAFU “ Elgin

    Hello Fellow Freedom Fighters,
    Last month I wrote in my monthly Outspokin’ article that I needed help Thursday and Friday early in the ABATE Booth at the Easyriders’ Rodeo in Chillicothe, Ohio. Thursday morning when I was southbound on SR 104 about 20 miles from the Ross County Fairgrounds my cell phone rings and Patrick Foraker, a first year Member from Region 2, Guernsey County called me to volunteer to work with me in our booth if I still needed help. WOW! I was thrilled that Pat read my article and responded to my call for help, Pat met me at the booth around 9am and we unloaded all the material for the booth that I had roughed in the day before and we set up the display in record time. Next Bill Jenks Region 6 arrived at the Booth around 11am to help us run it on the first day of the Rodeo, now Bill seems to be able to pitch in at almost all events where the State Office is setting up an information booth at an event anywhere in the State. Thanks Bill you are great. I had tickets to the Ohio State/Marshal Football Game, kickoff at 7:30 pm at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio that night so Pat ran the booth solo from 2:30pm to close, because Bill had another Regional Commitment that evening, around 2:30 pm we turned the Booth over to Pat so I could go to the Game and Bill could get back to his home Region. Pat was back at 9am the next day to help get things going in the Booth Friday Morning. Thank You from the bottom of my heart Pat.
    The September Board of Directors Meeting each year is the Meeting where nominations for ½ of the State Board Offices are opened, a State Officers term is 2 years. The way the Corporation is set up ½ of the Board Officers are keyed to the Chairman of the Board’s term in Office and the other 1/2 of the Board Offices are keyed to the Executive Directors term in Office. This year the Offices open for nomination are: Chairman of the Board, State Deputy Directors A & C, State Newsletter Editor, State Legislative Director, State Products Director, State Safety and Education Director, State Security Director, and State MRF Representative, also this year the Ex Officio Officer position is up for reelection, this is a 5 Year Term. We are structured this way so that the Chairman of the Board and the Executive Director Election is not held in the same year, so there is not a complete restructuring of the State Board of Directors every 2 years and there is no drop off of service to the Membership. The Chairman of the Board Office is the only 2 year Office on the State Board of Directors elected by the General Membership. The Official Ballot is printed on the inside of the back cover of the Outspokin’ Magazine and is the only Official Ballot accepted for voting for the Chairman of the Board.
    In closing we are going to make one last push to Get our Right of Way bill through both Houses in the Fall Session of the Legislature so start contacting you State Reps and ask for their support on these Bills HB 128A and SB 65.
                Thank You,
                Jim “ SNAFU “ Elgin

    Hello Fellow Freedom Fighters, once again I must bring you news of one of our own whom was brought down by one more senseless Right of Way Violation Crash 8/16/10. Dan Morgan Jr., 34 years old son of Dam Morgan Senior, our State Security Director, is fighting for his Life at St. Elizabeth Hospital, in Youngtown, Ohio. Someone who was not paying attention made a left turn in front of Dan Jr, while driving a Pickup Truck pulling a Trailer and Dan could not stop in time a collided with the rear of the trailer flipping the bike and being thrown to the ground fracturing his skull in 3 places breaking 3 ribs puncturing his lung and shattering both legs, bruised heart and lungs. At this time I am asking all of you to keep Dan Jr. his Family and Friends in your thoughts and prayers daily as they work through this troubling time and that Dan Jr. survives this trial and can rejoin society as a healthy, happy individual.

    On a lighter note, Wetzel M.C. Swap Meet was a huge success. We had a great Crew to work the Event and all had a great time meeting old friends and making some new ones. Thank You Wetzel M.C. for your Hospitality, you guys are great. By the time you read this the Region 7, T.S.I.A. Event will be in the books, I plan on attending to support a huge effort by a very well organized Region, Region 7 Rocks. Region 5 is putting on their 17th Annual Wooley Eagle Region Party August 27&28, so if you can work it into your schedule ride down to Hillsboro, Ohio and join in the fun, Region 5 always works their tails off to put on a great show. Do not forget the Easyrider Rodeo in Chillicothe, Ohio September 2-6, we have put our information booth in there for many years now and we need help to staff the booth especially Thursday and Friday, if you can help please call the State Office and volunteer, this would be much appreciated.

    One last thing, my brother Pat and I went to Sturgis for the 2007 Black Hills Rally to fulfill one of my sister Barbara’s last requests. At that time we made a pact to ride to Sturgis for the 70th Annual Black Hills Rally this year . Fred Smith, Laura Smith our Membership Secretary’s Husband rode with us and Diane Thompson, our State Newsletter Editor followed us in the chase vehicle in case one of the bikes broke down so we could load it up and keep on going. We got to Sturgis after a great ride and were having a wonderful time as this was Fred and Diane’s first Black Hills Rally, right up until Tuesday about noon when on a 220 mile ride with the Jackpine Gypsies M.C., I had a disagreement with a large patch of pee gravel, the gravel won the bike went down in the blink of an eye and Diane valiantly threw her body under the Motorcycle to protect the paint job and broke her left ankle in the process, my bad. So if you would all remember Diane in your thoughts and prayers for a full and speedy recovery this also would be much appreciated.

    Ride Smart                 ,
                Jim ”SNAFU” Elgin

    June Jam 2011, will be in Logan Ohio again, the date is June 24-25, 2011, mark your calendars so you can schedule vacation time for this most important event. Kevin White, State Events Director will chair the 2011 Jam Committee and he is looking for volunteers to put together the best Biker Party in the State of Ohio, we are starting now so next year we will be able to put on a show that will have something for everyone.

    AMA Vintage Days. The Call for Volunteers reached only a very few People. Tim Horetsky, Region 9 Legislative Officer, was there Thursday at 7am for the start of things and Tim and I helped get the Vendors through the gate to start setup in the vending area, over 550 used parts Vendors set up at this World Wide Event. Friday Jim Sprague, State Deputy Director D and Diane Thompson, Outspokin Editor came in and helped with roving in the vending area and on Saturday Tim Kaelin, Hamilton County Coordinator and Kurt Baughman Region 5, stepped up and Helped Tim Horetsky run the show while Jim, Diane and myself were at the State Office Saturday for the July State Board Meeting, and on Sunday all 6 of us were back to work the final day of the event.

    Wetzel, once again Wetzel M.C. has invited ABATE of Ohio, Inc., to come and set up our information Booth at their great event, if you have not experienced Wetzel Land you are missing one of the best Swap Meets in Ohio, lots of parts, people and great Entertainment, good food and a all around good time to be had by all, be there or be square.

    Region 9 Madison County is putting on their Sturgis East Poker Run August 14th, this is another good one and I plan on being there. TSIA, Region 7 is pulling out all the stops to put together a blockbuster again this year August 20-21, is the date for this one, going to be, GREAT! Wooley Eagle, Region 5’s weekender August 27-28, in Hillsboro Ohio, this party is a lot of fun, so if you can, stop in and party with a good bunch of people.

    ABATE of Ohio, Inc., does business by Committee, we do things this way so one person does not get overcome trying to do it all themselves, now life circumstances can change on a moment’s notice, this is where the Committee mind set comes into play, if you get buried just raise your hand and call for help and Committee Members will take over for you so we can provide a good experience for our Members. The worst thing you can do is nothing.

           Ride Safe.
           Jim “Snafu” Elgin

    COB Corner, May 2010

   April 23rd we met at the ODPS Headquarters in Columbus, Ohio for the Motorcycle Ohio and Ohio Traffic Safety Office 2010 Ride Smart kickoff campaign. Guest speakers were Cathy Collins-Taylor, Dept. of Public Safety Director, Tina O’Grady, Administrator Ohio Traffic Safety Office, Colonel David Dickens, Commander Ohio State Highway Patrol, and Bob Secrest, Director Motorcycle Ohio. Also in attendance were most of the law enforcement Motor units from all across Ohio, a most impressive sight, it makes the heart feel good to see how many County Sherriff Offices and City Police Departments have Motor Units now a days. The bottom line at this meeting was that the stepped up enforcement of impaired riding in 2009 resulted in a 27% reduction in Motorcycle fatalities compared to 2008 statistics, this is good, the bad news is 38% of the Motorcycle Fatalities in Ohio in 2009 were single vehicle crashes by impaired riders so the ODPS is going to keep up the pressure on Bike Nights and Rally’s to try to eliminate the impaired riders leaving these events to lower the Motorcycle Fatalities fatalities in Ohio even more than last year. Beth Richmond Safety and Education Director met me there as well as Mike “Beast “ Stanley, Lobbyist for ABATE of Ohio, Inc. and Ken Howell, Scott Wood, Scott Greentree, and Imre Szauter was there representing the AMA, and many other organizations and clubs were also in attendance. We were also told ODOT will put the” Watch out for Motorcycles” on the Traffic Alert signs as much as possible this riding season.

    May 1, 2010, May Motorcycle Awareness Rally and Parade, rain, rain, and more rain, rotten weather for a parade but Ron Zeno did a bike count and said there were 97 Motorcycles in the procession not including our 6 Motorcycle Police Escort, when we got to the Ohio Statehouse, Governor Ted Strickland was waiting for us, and he presented his proclamation declaring May Motorcycle Awareness Month in Ohio, and gave a very inspirational speech to our member to keep up the good work and we have a friend in the Governor’s Office. Kristy Hawthorne our Legislative Director worked hard with the Governors’ Office to make arrangements so Ted could be with us that day and she also scheduled Tina O’Grady Administrator Ohio Traffic Safety Office, and Vedette Gavin Franklin County Safe Communities Coalition as guest speakers at the Statehouse Ceremony, great work Kristy, and a hearty thank you to Beth Richmond who set up a great preride program at the A.D. Farrow North Star Dealership, with special guest Bob Secrest, Director Motorcycle Ohio, who made a good speech about responsible riding and then presented ABATE of Ohio, Inc. with a Distinguished Service Award for partnering with Motorcycle Ohio and the Ohio Department of Public Safety to promote motorcycle safety in Ohio, thanks Bob and we will display it proudly in our State Office. A special thanks to Robin Pickens and Taz, for running the registration booth at North Star again this year and Diane Thompson, for running the Products Trailer before the parade. Beth was the star at the After Rally Rally, at the A.D. Farrow downtown Dealership and had everything well organized with help from her Safety Committee, and a big THANK YOU to Rider Insurance for sponsoring the parade permit and street use permit for the ride, and a huge THANK YOU to A.D. Farrow Corp. for hosting the event again this year, and a special Thank You to Governor Strickland, the Department of Public Safety and Motorcycle Ohio for cosponsoring the Awareness Rally again this year.

   May 2, 2010 The Louie Run, Lake County Fairgrounds, Painesville, Ohio, I want to thank Mike Warren, Chairman of the Louie Run for inviting us back again this year, and Diane Thompson, Ron Zeno, Kerryanne New, Sandy Mohney, Tom Winger for helping for helping me work the event, we picked up a few new Members and spread the “Look Twice Save a Life” message out to many people in attendance at this event. We are riding on our streets every day now that warm weather has arrived, please ride responsibly, we need you here with us to carry on the good fight.

            Thank You,
                Jim “Snafu” Elgin

    COB Corner, APRIL 2010

   Giant Motorcycle Swap Meet, March 14, 2010, @ the IX Center Cleveland, Ohio. Promoter Chad Dutmers, invited ABATE of Ohio, Inc. to help out with this great Event again this year, so I got on the phone and Gave State Deputy Director A / Webmaster, Tim ” T.J.” Johnson, a call and said Hey T.J., this event is in your area do you want to Chair this Event? T.J. said, sure I will just add it to the two dozen other things I have going right now and see what I can do. T.J., got with the area Region Directors to round up some Volunteers, Region 16 Director Mike McLaughlin, led the charge and brought Garrison “Cowboy” Whitman and Tom Hamrick with him, T.J. brought Char Toman, Zedo Sklepko, Tom Winger, and Freddy with a Y Schultz, from Region Zero, Outspokin Co-Editor Diane Thompson, Region 5 and myself made for a good team and we did all that was needed to make this a great day, Thanks Team!

    March 20th I made it to the Region 9 Madison County Anniversary Party and Kenny Sims and Crew put on a great Event that was well attended. March 23rd I went to the Ohio Department of Public Safety to meet with DPS Director Cathy Collins-Smith, Motorcycle Ohio Director Bob Secrest, Director Ohio Traffic Safety Office Tina O’Grady, Motorcycle Ohio Administrative Assistant Pete Cline, DPS Legislative Liaison Mike Weinman, ODOT representative Michelle May and NHTSA Chicago Regional Office representative Donna Smith. The Motorcycling Community was represented by Kristy Hawthorne, Ed Schetter, Me, Ken Howell, Scott Wood, Denny Wichert, Barbara Clements, Mike Stanley, Imre Szauter, Bill Bish, Chuck and Melanie Geggie, Tom Whiteman and Bill Johnson. Read Kristy’s article and she will give you the low down.

    March 24th I met with Dave Hembroff, at the AMA Headquarters and worked out a plan to help Staff Vintage Motorcycle Days at the Mid Ohio Raceway, July 8-11, our job will be to help with Parking as well as support in the Vending Area, in exchange we are going to have a 10 x 20 booth in the Infield and free camping for all our Volunteers. I need 8 people on the 8th and 10 people the 9th through the 11th, so I am putting out a call to Regions Zero, 1, 8, 9, 14, 16 and any other Regions that can get us some help to make this partnership with the AMA at a great event become a reality. April 23rd, we are going to meet at ODPS for the Motorcycle Ohio and Ohio Traffic Safety Office 2010 Ride SMART kickoff campaign, I will tell you more about this in the June Issue.

    May is Motorcycle Awareness Month; A.D. Farrow NorthStar Dealership is once again hosting this Event for us, GATHER AS MANY RIDERS AS YOU CAN AND COME RIDE WITH US TO MAKE THIS THE BIGGEST AND BEST PARADE YET!
                    Thank You, Jim Elgin

    COB Corner, March 2010

   Hello Ohio Freedom Fighters! Winter is coming to an end finally, and what a winter it was, more snow than we have seen in a very long time, the snow piles will probably hang around melting away until the end of the month. Time to get busy and give your bikes the once over and change fluids, check your tires for tread depth and correct air pressure, new air filter element and all the good stuff you need to keep your ride at peak performance.

    I want to thank Tim "T.J." Johnson, State Deputy Director A, State Webmaster & Chair of the IX Center Motorcycle Expo Committee, Kerryanne New, R 12 Director and Tammy Blanton, R Zero Director, for rallying the troops to staff the ABATE Booth at the Expo. I was able to attend this year and get a first hand view of this Show and I must say, this is a first class event with 60,000 plus people in attendance, well worth the expense to set up shop at the Expo. Thanks to one and all who volunteered their time to promote Motorcycle Legislation, Safety and Awareness at this event working in the ABATE Booth, Great Job Team!

    Easyriders Bike Show, once again the folks at Action Promotions worked with us to get us a very affordable booth for the Bike Show, and the turnout for the Event was very strong, so I hope we can do it again next year. I want to thank Diane Thompson for helping me set up the Booth Friday afternoon, Ed Schetter made it in town for the start of the show Friday, and Kirk Goings R6 Clark County Coordinator, pitched in and we worked the Booth until close Friday. Saturday Morning, Ed, Diane, Kirk and I were there to open the Booth, and along came Maggie Cheek, Bill Jenks, Patrick and Phyllis Salcedo, a R6 invasion, they came in and took over. Then not to be outdone R7 invaded with Bushman, Homer, Blind Paul and Springer, with all their help it made for a good time for all during a very long day. Thank You one and all.

    State Rights Seminar, I will report further next month but the lineup of Guest Speakers, is very impressive and I want to thank the Seminar committee for all the hard work to put it together and an extra special Thank You to Beth Richmond for making the Event Program for us again this year. The Committee Members are: Barbara Clements (Chair), Beth Richmond, Lynn Hardin, Ed Schetter, and Denny Wichert, what a team!

    Ride Free,
    Jim ”SNAFU” Elgin

    Since we last met, I spoke about up-coming State Events, Ohio Bike Week, and the June Jam. We were all still reeling for the loss of a Great Freedom Fighter, Martin Meister. I said it would take two people to replace Martin and I did not know how we could manage “Bike Week” without him. I put out a call for help. Help did arrive. We had the most staff to help manage the OBW Campground and State Products Trailer, as well as the ABATE Booth Downtown Sandusky on the second weekend. More than the previous two Bike Weeks we have been involved in. Do not get me wrong, we need more staff so everyone can have a day off, not everyone got one, right Lynn and Bushman. I got fired on June 13th, by the big guy Bushman, and was able to ride in the Founders Day Parade, in the rain, but it was well worth the experience. Thanks Bushman.

    Volunteers, let's start with the Fab 4, Jim “Bushman” Sprague, Lynn”Miss Daisey” Hardin, Ed Schetter, and Robin Burns, in from start to finish. Beth Richmond, Safety and Ed. Director, working the crowd to warn against impaired Riding. Next, Dawn and Lonnie Berkshire, Cowboy Whitman and Linda Chaffin, and Mike McLaughlin, seems if there is work to be done, this bunch is in, go Region 16. Tom Winger, part of OBW Committee, worked his tail off again this year, Dan and Mother Mary Morgan, kept us on the ball, T.J. and Mary K. Johnson, kept us wired to cyberspace as well as the Fairgrounds electrical system, so we could have lights and coffee (very important), and Mike Stock pitched in wherever there was a need. Mike is a very interesting person to talk to, I gained some valuable insight working the Products Trailer with him one night. We had a FNG, Kevin White R9, as well as Don Rinehart R9, as second timer, work with us. Diane Thompson, Scott and Susan Wood, Ken Howell, Barb Clements, Ralph Buss R5, Barb Tittle and you guessed it Deeter, R Zero, helping out, Bill Jenks R6. Ed spoke at a R14 Meeting and asked for volunteers and Eric Reffner, Mike and Kim Pickett, answered the call. Brian Jordan, I think every Officer and many Members from R7, were there working with us a special thanks to Cheryl Darr and Aaron “speedbump” Rhodes, “Mr. Bill” Bowersox, Melisa, Galvin, Carol, Annette, Joshua, Ray, Dana, Jacob, Pauly, Ben, Suzi, Linda, Ellie, Mike, Dave, and Larry Morgan, the list goes on. Thank You one and all.

    June Jam, this was a prime example of teamwork, Vince Dowdy, Committee Chair, Robin Burns, Brian Reed, Dion DiBacco, to name a few, we had the most Vendors, since we moved the Jam to Hopedale, a dynamite line up of Bands and a great Poker Run. All Regions pitched in to do their part on the Gate, Security, contests and clean up, all covered. One Problem, the rainiest June Jam ever, and the worst attendance record ever, to go with the worst weather ever. I think we need to move the date of our State Party, and catch a breather between Bike Week and June Jam. I thank everyone who attended this years June Jam, and hope for bigger and better things next year.

    Remodel of State Office, Mike Scarmuzzi, Member and owner of Restaurant Service Co. of Dublin LLC, stopped by the Office to check it out, Mike told me he makes anything you want out of stainless steel, and he would like to make an ABATE sign to put above the front door. I gave Mike one of the Plexiglas panel from the sign board at our first State Office. Three weeks later, Mike stopped by and delivered a custom made stainless steel sign, and told me to give him a call when I was ready to install the sign. I am no electrician, but a Member / Friend of mine, Darrell Pyle, is a electrician. Darrell gave me a call to talk about an upcoming event and I asked him if he would stop by and check the wiring to our porch light, because it has not worked since we moved in, Darrell came by on his lunch break one day, opened a junction box, found a error corrected it and bingo, we had a porch light. Darrell said while I am here do you want to install the sign Mike made now? I said yes, and we did just that. Next I planned to move the stairs in the Warehouse / Board Room, to the opposite side of the landing to give us more room for BOD Meetings, after getting a OK, from the property owner, Kevin White, Member / Friend, stopped by the Office, Wednesday 7/8/09, to check it out, and I told Kevin about the plan to move the stairs but I had a Board Meeting 7/11/09, and no time to make it happen, Kevin said no problem, he would come back the next day, and he did. We moved everything out of the way and began the process of disconnecting the stairs so we could move them, when we were almost ready to do the move, Mike Scarmuzzi, stopped by to drop off some Membership, and Mike pitched in to help move the stairs, I got a call I had to take, went back into my work area to take the call, when the call was over and I returned to the warehouse the stairs were already in place and being secured to the landing and wall. Now that is what I call Teamwork. Thank You, Kevin and Mike and Darrell.

                Jim Elgin
        Chairman of the Board
          ABATE of Ohio, Inc.

   May is Motorcycle Awareness Month. Impaired Riding, is the focus for all of us in the Motorcycle Community, this year. On April 16, 2009, I attended the Ohio Department of Public Safety / Motorcycle Ohio, Ride SMART, Kick off Campaign 2009. It was held at the Ohio Department of Public Safety Headquarters, in Columbus, Ohio. Denny Wichert, Dean Cordell , Ken Howell and Mike “Beast” Stanley met me there.
    Ride Smart has been around for a couple of years. You may ask why the ODPS, and Motorcycle Ohio, decided to highlight the program this year. You see, 214 Motorcyclist died in crashes on Ohio Roads in 2008; 137 Motorcyclist died in crashes in Ohio in 2007; 77 more Bikers died in Motorcycle Crashes in 2008. 40% of the fatal motorcycle crashes in Ohio, in 2008, were alcohol related. That means about 100 bikers, got drunk and killed themselves on a motorcycle last year in Ohio. This trend swept the entire Nation in 2008, every State recorded record breaking number of motorcycle fatalities in 2008. The Federal Government, as well as every state in the Nation have taken notice, and are taking steps to correct this phenomenon. Drinking and riding is absolutely ignorant. At the Federal level, talks are ongoing about lowering the BAC for Motorcyclist, to .06, like a CDL License holder, or even a .00 BAC for Motorcyclist, this stuff is real. We are the ones who can fix this problem. We must police ourselves. The impact on family, friends and the entire Motorcycle Community are devastating. The heart ache we all endure for even one Motorcycle Fatality, let alone an Impaired Rider Fatality, haunts each and every one of us for many years to come. You can not help but play the “What If” game inside your head, to try to change the facts and the fact is, what you choose to do inside your own home to relax when the day is done, is your business, but on the streets, you must use your head to stay alive. Drinking and riding is putting your brain at a major disadvantage, when it comes to dealing with the challenges that come with riding a motorcycle. At every turn, when you give up the Edge, you Lose.

    The Annual State Motorcycle Rights Seminar was a Huge Success, a great big Thank You to the Committee, Beth Richmond (Chair), Tracy Collins, Barbara Clements, Ralph Buss, Lynn Hardin, Great Teamwork! An Event we can all be Proud of. At this years Seminar, Guest Speaker, Kirk ”Hardtail” Williard, President of the MRF, covered some of the concerns at the Federal Level, and congratulated ABATE of Ohio, Inc. and CMRO, for joining forces to form a stronger more coordinated State Motorcycle Rights Organization, to deal wit all the issues that are coming at us in 2009, and the years to come.
    Next I would like to talk about Guest Speaker Doc Reichenbach II, President ABATE of Florida, COB- NCOM, Doc talked about the Cause, and if and when we become more important than the Cause, it is time to step away. This is why change must occur from time to time, if a Department becomes stagnant you must change the water, if you will. We must be willing to adapt to the ever-changing circumstances of the Political Environment (State Motorcycle Rights) we have chosen to be active in, and never lose sight of our Goal, to promote Motorcycle Awareness and Safety, improve the Image of Motorcyclist, and protect our privilege to Ride.
    Lets talk about Image, we had the unpleasant Duty to our Members, to remove a long time Member / Officer, from our Ranks, with just cause. This is not the type publicity that does ABATE of Ohio, Inc., any good, we must put this behind us and move on. UNITY OF PURPOSE, is the only mind set that will enable us to succeed in our initiatives such as Right of Way Legislation, Seizure Bills, Helmet Laws, the list goes on, if we can not get along, how can we be an effective Lobby Based Organization? We are an all Volunteer Organization, made up of People from all walks of Life, and each one brings something positive to the table, United We Stand, Divided We Fall, we must stand together, to weather the ominous storm on the horizon. We must keep our eyes on our goals, and not waste time bickering about things that distract us from focusing on our Cause, the Cause is why we are here.
    Dedication, look this one up in the dictionary, and you should see pictures of, Gary “Cowboy” Whitman, Dawn & Lonnie Berkshire, Tim “T.J.” Johnson, Diane Thompson, Barbara Tittle, and I. This was the Crew, that showed up March 15, 2009 @ 6am, at the IX Center, Cleveland, Ohio, to work the Giant Motorcycle Swap Meet, first time in Ohio, and I will tell you what folks, parts for everything antique thru 2009 Models, the best Indoor Swap Meet, I have seen as long as I can remember. Now we only had about six weeks notice, and we had 4 Region Events going on around the State, the same weekend, but Chad Dutmers, the Promoter of this Event, contacted me and said he had been doing this type Event in Michigan for a number of years and he worked with ABATE of Michigan, to help staff the Event, and had a very good working relationship with them and asked if we would like to be a part of the Ohio Event, Chad said he thought 24 People would be enough to fully Staff the Event, for this he would make a $1,000.00 donation to ABATE of Ohio, Inc.. I said YES! 12 People @ 6am, 12 more @ 10am, I put the word out, the 6 people I mentioned earlier were all the help I had until 1:30pm, when Bill and Darlene Bish, with their daughter Rachelle, stopped by the ABATE Booth, found out Diane, had worked the Booth alone from start to that point in time, cut Diane loose so she could take a break, and worked the Booth for a couple hours. I can not tell you how impressed I was, and honored, to work with this Crew, we were short handed, no one complained, there was a job to be done, and everyone of us worked it hard from start to finish, and Chad Dutmers, was impressed with our professionalism, and dedication, and even though we were short handed he is still going to make the $1,000.00 donation and give us a chance next year to get the Staff level right, next year same time same place, Thanks Chad. Now, if Cowboy, Dawn, and Lonnie, are an example of the Quality People CMRO brought us when we merged the Corporations, we will be able to grow our numbers by leaps and bounds.
    Thanks Team, you are the Best.
        Snafu