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The 36th Annual Children’s Hospital Toy Run is BACK – Run Scheduled for December 12th

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In December, the Toy Run at Children’s Hospital is one of the biggest gatherings of motorcycle riders in Colorado.  For 36 years, bikers have been like the postal service; they would ride their bikes and deliver the toys in rain, snow, sleet, or hail. 

If you haven’t attended this event, there is nothing like the kids at Children’s Hospital steaming up the windows and waving to the bikes as they pull thru the main hospital entrance.  They know when they hear those Harley engines roar, toys are on the way.

I am happy to report that after a year of COVID modifications and mandates, THE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL TOY RUN IS BACK and set for December 12th, 2021.

Riders will still see some changes, but the time-honored traditions you have come to expect are back.  The big one is that we will all be gathering at Aurora Sports Park again. The first bike in at 8:00 a.m.  

Breakfast, hot coffee, and chocolate will be at the Park all morning, donated by RiderJustice.com and BikerDown Foundation. There will be multiple ride-through toy drop-off lanes, along with lots of greeters in the East parking lot. Procession to the hospital as in the past will begin around 10:00 a.m.

Due to current health restrictions only, patient family members are allowed inside the hospital at this time. Riders will then be directed out of the hospital and are invited to attend the after-party celebration at Mile High Harley-Davidson in Aurora. All riders, all brands, and all clubs are welcome and encouraged to participate in all activities. 

This year, pre-registration will be digital (online) with wristband pickup and pin pickup (pins can be purchased online or in-person) at several dealerships around town and at the Sports Park day-of.

For more detail, contact Robby Farrow at Mile High. It will be an excellent event for the kids and the riders, as always (the 36th year), benefiting Children’s Hospital Colorado!

Cool Bike Lunch and Rides – 2022 Male Calendar

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Cool Biker Lunch and Rides, a Colorado motorcycle group, is launching an unprecedented male biker calendar!  It is a 13-month calendar featuring local male bikers posing in front of breathtaking landscape backdrops. 

Many lady bikers were ecstatic to hear that they get to see a different sexy man every month of the year.  The calendar launch party was held at Dirty Dogs Roadhouse in Golden on November 13th, and the response was overwhelming.

If you couldn’t make it to the event and want to get an autographed copy, email coolbikerlunchandrides@gmail.com or call 310-614-2321!  They are  $15.00 each! 

They would be great holiday gifts for all the ladies in your life! , email coolbikerlunchandrides@gmail.com or call 310-614-2321 and get your copy!

Stormy

FOCUS ON GIVING: Dirty Dogs Roadhouse to host 2nd Annual Freezin For A Reason Chili-Cookoff on December 4th

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Do you have the BEST Chili? Is it the Hottest? You will have a chance to enter your red/green chili at the 2nd Annual Freezin for a Reason Chili Cookoff hosted by Dirty Dogs Roadhouse.

To enter your chili, please register by clicking here, all contestants are asked to bring an unwrapped toy or donate $10.00. All tasters as well will be asked to bring a donation to taste the amazing chili that day. Proceeds from the event will go to Adopt A Family for the Holidays Colorado, and the Children’s Hospital Toy Run.

Awards will be given to the best red and green chili, as well as the people’s choice for the absolute BEST.

So come out to the #1 Biker Bar in Colorado and get in the holiday spirit.

Do You Know What a Blue Halloween Buck Means?

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Article Contributor: Nichole Zamora

It is almost that fun time of the year when kids dress up in their favorite costumes and go door to door chanting “Trick or Treat“! If you’re lucky, you will get a “Thank you” before they zoom off to the next house, giggling and checking their buckets to see what they got.

What about the kids who show up at your door and do not have a costume on? Or those that show up to your door and do not say “Trick or Treat” or “Thank You”? What do you do when kids that aren’t small kids, but still are waiting for you to drop that piece of candy in their bucket? 

It’s possible that an adult child or quiet child might have autism and be non-verbal.  If a trick or treater comes up with a blue Halloween bucket, do you know what that means?  We live in a different time, and we need to all become more aware that trick-or-treaters at your door may have different needs.

Alicia Plumber started an amazing trend in 2018 for her 20-year-old son BJ, who was autistic and non-verbal, just by a social media post:

Whether you’re out and about this Halloween or staying home to hand out sweets to well-costumed kiddos, you might spot a blue pumpkin today — whether it’s a plastic version used as a sweets-holder or carved and sitting outside someone’s home. This isn’t just a fun style choice. A blue pumpkin symbolizes autism and will be carried by trick or treaters to signal that they may have certain needs.

“This trend seems to be gaining momentum. As the general public becomes more aware of it, we think it could be a wonderful way for kids —the little ones and the bigger ones—to participate in Halloween festivities without the judgment that they sometimes face in social situations,” Wendy Fournier, president of the National Autism Association, stated in a recent Newsweek article.

For those who choose to use them, the blue buckets could provide a subtle, dignified way of alerting people that this child or young adult may not be able to make eye contact, or tolerate wearing a mask, or even say ‘thank you’, but they certainly deserve to enjoy the fun of Halloween as much as everyone else,” she added.

“1 in 160 children has an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). ASDs begin in childhood and tend to persist into adolescence and adulthood. While some people with ASD can live independently, others have severe disabilities and require life-long care and support,” the World Health Organization (WHO) reports.

Halloween’s history is for adults and children of all ages to have a night of fun, so keep the true spirit of Halloween and just give from your heart and have a variety of treats, even some available for kids that can’t have sweets.

7th Annual Colorado Wounded Veteran’s Run

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By: Becki Bradley

September 18th was clear and warm as bikes arrived by the dozen at Takoda Tavern in Parker. Colorado Wounded Vet Run was underway. Veterans and their supporters came out to show support with their bikes, voices, and money. The 7th Annual CWVR event was underway, and the number of bikes far exceeded the previous years. It’s estimated that there were over 135 registrants for this year’s ride.  This annual event drew veteran motorcycle groups and  clubs, including but not limited to Veterans MC, Eagle Riders, Combat Vets, American Legion Riders, Marine MC, and many other

CWVR is a nonprofit organization that works year-round to raise funds for chosen honorees. Each year honorees are selected from Colorado veterans that people in the community nominate. Once selected, the board puts on fundraisers and volunteers at biker events for donations. Get Your Bike Off was held at Dirty Dogs and included vendors, an auction, and a 50/50 raffle. Serving beer at events is also a way the CWVR volunteers use to raise funds as well.

All the time and energy put into the fundraiser culminate with the actual bike run and this year’s proved great results. The Run itself is a parade route with the honorees following the flag jeep, each being chauffeured in their vehicle, making a small procession followed by so many supporting riders. The route down Hess and over to 105 in Sedalia is always a beautiful ride and anyone on the road that day knew something was going on. People honking, waving, and taking videos were all along the route that led to Highway 83 and north to The Stagecoach as the parade destination.

The ceremony is solemn and emotional. Bagpipes and the National Anthem set the tone for the day and hearing the honorees’ stories in their own words bring home what has happened in their soldier lives. It gives the bystander a glimpse into their journey from home to war and returning from the field of battle wounded. Being a part of this allows veterans and supporters alike to show a bit of appreciation and, in some cases, a proper welcome home.  

Morning Stretch – Thoughts & Inspirations

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Morning Stretch
Stretch is a new inspirational writer to CRN and avid rider in the biker community

By: Stretch McClure

With all the crap going on in this world, people are offended by everything. To me, too many people have that “want everything for nothing attitude!” The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain!

It is the possibility that keeps us going, and though you may call me a dreamer or a fool or any other thing, I believe that anything is possible. Well done is better than well said. So believe nothing, no matter where you read it or who said it, no matter if I have said it unless it agrees with your reason and your own common sense.

The easiest thing to be in the world is you. The most challenging thing to be is what other people want you to be. Don’t let them put you in that position. If a problem is fixable, if a situation is such that you can do something about it, then there is no need to worry. If it’s not fixable, then there is no help in worrying.

There is no benefit in worrying whatsoever. It is not the failure of others to appreciate the abilities that should trouble you, but rather your failure to appreciate theirs. Nothing will work unless you do! If people refuse to look at you in a new light and they can only see you for what you were, only see you for the mistakes you’ve made, if they don’t realize that you are not your mistakes, then they have to go.

Then, start by doing what is necessary, then what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible! Sometimes it’s not enough to know what things mean. Sometimes you have to know what things don’t mean.

Be safe and keep the shiny side up!

Motorcycle Riders Brought SGT. Stoddard home after 73 years of MIA/KIA

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By Laurie Montoya, BikerDown Foundation

Riders love the freedom of the ride!  This is what most motorcycle riders will tell you when asked why they ride.  Motorcycle riders are an eclectic group of individuals.  They are patriotic and have an unexplainable love of country, probably because motorcycle riders get to enjoy this beautiful country that we call home.  The love of the ride isn’t the same as driving a car. You get to feel the wind on your face, see the majestic beauty in every turn, and all the stresses of life melt away.  As a rider, you begin to understand FREEDOM.  Freedom that our veterans and active military have fought for over the decades and continue to fight for today.

On Wednesday, I had the distinct honor and privilege of joining veterans and motorcycle groups and clubs to give Sgt. Donald D. Stoddard an honor motorcade from DIA to his hometown of Boulder, Colorado. 

Who is Sgt Stoddard?

Stoddard was a member of Company B, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Division. He was killed in action on Nov. 22, 1943, during the Battle of Tarawa, a bloody fight in which U.S. forces vied with the Japanese for control of the South Pacific island of Betio. Stoddard died as a result of an artillery explosion during a Japanese banzai charge. He was 22 years old.

Stoddard was buried in a mass grave on the Tarawa Atoll. His family was initially informed that the body was “unrecoverable.”

Honor Motorcade

The call to the veteran community went out on Tuesday, and we arrived at the cell phone lot at DIA around 9:30 a.m.  Veterans from the U.S. Vets, Combat Veterans, American Legion Riders, and other individuals and veterans who had seen the viral social media posts began to arrive.  The fellowship of veterans is unmatched in any other type of group I have ever seen.  These veterans don’t see color. They see others who have put their lives on the line for the freedom and protection of this country.

We all knew we were there for a solemn moment.  None of us knew Sgt. Stoddard, we didn’t know his family or friends.  All we knew was that there was a veteran who, after 73 years, was finally being brought home.

Around noon, the Hearst and family arrived, and the riders lined up ready to escort this veteran home.

As we respectfully and with such precision began to follow them, law enforcement took the lead and began blocking us thru the intersections.  We were asked not to honk or wave at any spectators who might be waiving flags.  Our goal today is to honor Sgt. Stoddard.

I was overwhelmed with emotion as we proceeded flawlessly thru the streets of Denver; how many people had come out with flags to honor this fallen veteran, residents of Denver who also did not know Sgt. Stoddard, but might have understood what this family had gone thru, maybe they had lost a loved one in war, and they were never returned.  

Emotion struck me as fire and police departments that had been commissioned that day to help with traffic control had positioned their vehicles and trucks in such a way to keep traffic at bay. They stood saluting this veteran as the whole motorcade rode by.

Finally, we proceeded down Hwy 36, we could see the majestic view of the  Boulder Range, and all I could think of was a job well done, Sgt. Stoddard, you are now finally home!

BOULDER, CO – JUNE 23: Members of U.S. Marine Corps Combat Logistics Battalion 453 carry the casket of U.S. Marines Corps Sgt. Donald Deloy Stoddard to the chapel at Crist Mortuary on Wednesday, June 23, 2021, in Boulder, Colo.(Timothy Hurst/Photographer)

It was a solemn moment when seven Denver-based Marines were present and saluted the casket as it was removed from the hearse and carried into the funeral home with family members waiting. Active military personnel, the Colorado Patriot Guard Riders, came to the funeral home to form a flag line, and we all stood at attention as the casket was moved inside the building.

Colorado riders and veterans who could not attend Wednesday’s memorial ride are encouraged to attend Stoddard’s official reburial ceremony on Saturday, June 26.  Michele Stoney-Cathcart and Joel McCoy will be gathering at Dirty Dogs Roadhouse in Golden at 8:30 a.m. to ride to Boulder.  Click here for event information. The committal service will be held at 10 a.m. at Mountain View Memorial Park on Kalmia Avenue. He will be buried next to his parents, George and Bess Stoddard. 

Video provided by Colorado Rider News – click here

TOMORROW: BikerDown’s Motorcycle Awareness Ride: Can YOU SEE Me NOW starts at Dirty Dogs Roadhouse

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By Laurie Montoya

Tomorrow, May 15th BikerDown will again be hosting their 9th Annual Look Twice Ride and our theme again this year is CAN YOU SEE ME NOW.  Motorcycle fatalities are up 33% from 2019 to 137.  These are un-imaginable statistic and one that riders hope will not happen to them, however, there is hardly a week that goes by that someone in our network of friends isn’t reported to have gone down or passed from a motorcycle accident.

It is a well-known fact that the public does not watch for motorcycles no matter how many billboards CDOT puts up or lighted signs that are only up a few days in May or in August during Sturgis.  It is a well-known fact that most motorcycle accidents involve a car and/or some sort of distracted driving.  Distracted Driving comes in many forms including texting/driving, use of handheld mobile devices while driving, putting your makeup on while the vehicle is moving, looking in the back seat at your kids, eating while driving to changing the radio station.

Our riding community continues to be the victim of irresponsible drivers who are out driving with no driver’s license and little to no insurance and driver’s leaving accident victims on the ground and leaving the scene.  Driver’s change lanes without looking and run stop signs/lights, hit the biker, and keep on going.

We are asking all riders who have been injured in a motorcycle accident or know of someone who is currently hospitalized from an accident, riders who have lost a loved one on the bike to STAND with us on Saturday, May 15th and show this community of drivers to WATCH FOR US!

Riders will need to pre-register for the ride to guarantee themselves 1 of our motorcycle awareness t shirts.  T-shirts will be available the day of the event in limited sizes.  Registration is $25.00 per rider.  Each rider who pre-registers will get 1 free month of motorcycle roadside assistance sponsored by Motorcycle Towing Services.

Dirty Dogs Roadhouse

Our ride will start and end this year at Dirty Dogs Roadhouse in Golden with kickstands up at 10-10:30 am.  The Look Twice ride is known for great rides routes and safety is always key for this event.  Dirty Dogs will have some great entertainment for our event, and our sponsors and biker community always donate great raffles and 50/50 drawings prizes.

Rider Justice Motorcycle Lawyers

Our sponsor for the ride is again Rider Justice.  For over 8 years, Scott O’Sullivan from RiderJustice.com has supported this event as well as BikerDown Foundation to ensure that injured motorcycle riders have a resource to go when they go down.

This is BikerDown Colorado’s primary fundraiser that will enable us to continue the mission of helping injured riders until the end of the year!

International Female Ride Day raises money for local charities

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The first Saturday in May (May 1st this year) was a day for the record books.  Drivers could see over 200 badass female motorcyclists roaring through Denver this past weekend.   A girl from the Littleton area who had walked over with her mother to see what all the rumble of bikes was about said, “They look like superheroes.”

What’s cooler than cool helmets, ponytails, sunglasses, leather jackets, Harley-Davidsons and 200+ badass women crushing stereotypes as they soar through the streets of Denver on motorcycles? Yeah, I hear crickets too. Nothing is cooler.

The event was scheduled to start at 9:00 a.m. in the parking lot of Rocky Mountain Harley-Davidson in Littleton, but women riders and volunteers were so excited for this event that they started showing up at 7:30 a.m.  All morning as the number’s increased, you could see how happy the women riders were to have a day of their own, a day to empower one another, to see girlfriends and to forget about this past year.  It felt so great to be outside and to feel normal again, said Cathy, a new rider to Denver.

Photos by Stevie G. Photography

Audrey Paulas, co-founder of the event scheduled an amazing ride for the women, but her volunteers and team leaders executed the ride perfectly and safely.  When the women returned to Rocky Mountain for the afternoon activities, everyone commented that it was just a great ride!

Rocky Mountain Harley-Davidson hosted this year’s event and was chosen because Kathy Yevoli for over 40 years, has owned the Harley dealership and inspires women riders to go for your dreams and enjoy the ride.  Women riding groups and club as well as women biker related businesses are growing in our motorcycle community every year.

“Being a female rider in 2021 is awesome, but there is still some prejudice and stereotypes towards women bikers and a lot of improvements which need to take place in the industry,” Laurie Montoya, who co-hosted this event, has experienced those types of challenges herself, but continued to say to herself during those low times, you might not want to deal with me now, but years down the road, you will know who I am.”

Photos by Stevie G. Photography

“These kinds of events are a perfect moment for us to make a statement and show that women riders are more than ever-present on the road.”

Montoya also said she is excited to “see a bunch of women from different worlds and different day jobs come together on a very special day.”

International Female Ride Day has been around 15 years, but this is just the 1st one of this size to come to Denver, and an event that Audrey, Kathy and Laurie said we will make it bigger and better next year!

Marina Yevoli, who oversees marketing for Rocky Mountain, said they would be happy to make it an annual event after seeing the success this year. 

If there is something we need in 2021, it’s a reason to celebrate.  This ride raised over $4,000.00 with the proceeds being split between the Jefferson County Food Bank and #2wheels4meals that feeds 1st responders and injured riders.

A special thank you to all of our sponsors who donated to this event, so we had no expenses and 100% of what was raised was distributed.  Our  event was sponsored by Rider Justice, Rocky Mountain Harley Davidson, Colorado Rider News, and Cool Biker Lunch and Rides.

See you ladies next year and remember…..JUST RIDE!