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Rolling Thunder: Missoula’s Mini-Sturgis Rally
Pablo Espinoza, a retired law enforcement officer from Arlee, gives a ride to Dorothy Wisherd at Missoula’s MiniSturgis Motorcycle Rally last summer. [Photo provided by The Village Senior Residence]
By Gail Jokerst; gailjokerst.com The roar of the Harleys – the smell of the burgers. Ah, yes. If it is a Saturday in July and you happen to be near Old Fort Missoula, it can mean only one thing – the Garden City’s own Mini-Sturgis rally. That translates to about 40 motorcycles, 550 potential bike passengers, plus a whole lotta hamburgers, hot dogs, and Polish sausage. “We call the sound rolling thunder,” says Kathryn Beaty, Executive Director of The Village Senior Residence (TVSR). “As soon as we hear that rumble in the distance, word spreads quickly, ‘The motorcycles are coming.’” For the past seven summers, TVSR and The Village Health Care Center (TVHCC) have hosted one of the nation’s most unusual motorcycle rallies. It draws motorcycling volunteers from organizations such as Missoula’s Harley Owners Group and Christian Motorcycle Association as well as Polson’s Sober Indians. They arrive atop choppers, trikes, and touring bikes, BMWs, Hondas, and Ducatis. Some bikes are quiet as a cat’s purr; others resonate loudly enough to wake a sleeping babe. These generous-hearted men and women converge on Old Fort Road with one mission – to offer those living and working at TVSR and TVHCC, and their families, an opportunity to experience the pleasures of motorcycling. The volunteer drivers provide the vehicles and encouragement so anyone from school kids to centenarians can take a spin. “I appreciate how everyone comes together; the generations are usually so separated. But on this day, they are all out there enjoying the same thing at the same time,” observes Kathryn, who owns and rides a Harley trike with her husband. “This is such a unique gift to our community.” “Some of the people who attend are former riders themselves and reconnect with their youth. Others have never ridden before and want to try it,” says Katie Knudsen, TVSR’s Life Enrichment Director. “Anything we can do to bring joy to people’s lives, we need to be doing. So many people come just for the smiles they see on the faces of the (Continued on page 43)
Gather the Hidden Eggs Just for fun, we have hidden a baker’s dozen of Easter eggs throughout this issue of the Montana Senior News. Search for them and mail us a list of the page numbers on which you find them. We will award a $25 prize to
the person who finds all of the eggs. If there are multiple correct entries, the winner will be determined by a drawing. None of the hidden eggs is located within an advertisement. Have fun! MSN