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9th Annual Bare As You Dare Bikers In Boxers Charity Ride
By: Pam Irvin
WNC’s best kept secrets is the 9th Annual Bare As You Dare, Bikers in Boxers Charity Ride hosted by VFW post 5202 in Waynesville. Over thirty bikers bared it all to raise money for Haywood County Mountain Projects to help elderly with home heating. Registration started at 10 am, kickstands up at noon. I watched the temperature all morning hoping for drastic change. The thermometer on my porch in Bethel, NC said 29 degrees about 9 am. I knew I was going to be wearing little clothing, but it was for a good cause, right? The motto is “We freeze so you don’t have to.” Luckily, I was able to wear clothing from home to the VFW and change to my shorts there. It was around 31 degrees when the ride started. Over thirty bikers wore next to nothing to raise money for this great cause. There were some very creative outfits. Some wore only boxers, shorts, vests etc. for the 20 minute police escorted ride through downtown Waynesville. It turned out to be an awesome experience. After the ride the VFW members had a crockpot competition that everyone got to benefit from. This was an awesome way to warm up after being exposed in the frigid mountain air. They also had a full bar of liquid antifreeze for those that needed it. There were amazing door prizes donated by ne of
Waynesville area businesses, a live band, silent auction and cake auction as well. We were also welcomed by Angela and Mark Bleckley with Mission 22. They work with veterans and the community to bring awareness for Veterans’ suicide, PTSD, Substance Abuse and other issues Veterans face. I was invited to come back to their bike nights held every Tuesday night at the VFW post. I will definitely be going back to visit soon and can’t wait to do the ride again next year. A substantial amount of money was raised for this great cause. It was an honor to be a part of this event with an awesome group of bikers.
