GET YOUR MOTOR RUNNING

Sitting astride a motorcycle with the wind in their face, visitors take in the scenery of the Hill Country in a whole different way during the Hill Country Run motorcycle rally in Luckenbach April 29-May 2.

The rally, in its 25th year, is sponsored by the Optimist Club of Fredericksburg.

Billed as “More than just a plain ol’ motorcycle rally,” the Hill Country Run is three days filled with

hearty food, live music, new friends and miles of riding through the towns and vistas of the scenic Texas Hill Country.

The weekend gets an early start at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 29, with a social and welcome at Hondo’s on Main, 312 W. Main St.

On Friday and Saturday, check-in and registration begins at 9 a.m. in Luckenbach, and participants can enjoy more live music all afternoon and evening.

Also on Friday, there will be a Hill Country ride with an action-packed afternoon of Luckenbach fun that includes entertainment from 1-5 p.m.

Hayden Whittington will be at the Luckenbach Picker’s Circle. That evening, the Rev. Nathon Dees will perform on the outside stage from 6-9 p.m.

Saturday’s afternoon music from 1-5 p.m., features blues with Ben Beckendorf and the Konkrete Kings close out the night from 5:30-9:30 p.m.

Saturday evening, the Brew & BBQ dinner will be back. Tickets are sold for the Brew & BBQ in advance for $15 per person.

The non-competitive Hill Country Ride road trip with take cyclists on a leisure ride throughut the Hill Country. The route planned by the Optimist Club includes stops at Pecan Grove Store, Harry’s on the Loop and Albert, Texas. Riders will pull into designated stops, where they can drop tickets in a box.

At the end of the event, tickets will be drawn from each stop, with the winners receiving prizes at 7 p.m. in Luckenbach.

MOTORCYCLISTS HEAD OUT ON THE HILL COUNTRY HIGHWAY FOR BEAUTIFUL ADVENTURES

Saturday and Sunday start with a Cowboy Breakfast, included in the $60 registration fee. The hosts provide the ingredients and 30 individual cooking stations, so early-risers can fry up their favorite breakfast of eggs and sausage, laid on warm tortillas, garnished with cheese, onions and green peppers, and washed down with hot coffee and orange juice.

Booths offering motorcycle-related items and souvenirs will be on hand throughout the event and the run closes with a final breakfast and a Sunday morning worship service.

HC MOTORCYCLE RALLY LUCHENBACH (LEFT) It’s smooth sailing for these motorcyclists as they cruise down Grapetown Road during the Hill Country Run Motorcycle Rally. The event raised funds for the youth programs of

Fredericksburg’s Optimist Club. — Standard-Radio Post file photo

HC MOTORCYCLE RALLY FROM 2014 (RIGHT) These “easy riders” and their passengers enjoy a Hill Country cruise, as they motor down Grapetown Road, just west of downtown Luckenbach. These and hundreds of other riders took part in the 18th Annual Hill Country Run Motorcycle Rally,

which ran from May 2-4. — Standard-Radio Post file photo

Proceeds from the Hill Country Run go to fund Optimist Club of Fredericksburg projects, including the New Year’s event on Marktplatz, T-ball program, scholarship program, oratorical contest and essay contest. The focus of the Optimist Club is “Bringing Out the Best in Kids.”

Optimist Clubs conduct positive service projects in their communities aimed at providing a helping hand to youth. All of the rally’s net proceeds are returned to the youth in Fredericksburg.

Every year, Optimist International conducts over 65,000 service projects and serves well over six million young people.

For information, call 830-997-8515, or visit www.hillcountryrun.com, or friend them on Facebook.