2000 Show Report

May 21 was a perfect day for an outside bike show. Over 1500 motorcycles and 4000 people came to Snohomish to kick off the riding season in style. With more than 20 vendors, 20 sponsors, two bands, the Seattle Cossacks, a couple of guest speakers, and unique stores and restaurants, riders had plenty to do while waiting for the show bikes to win trophies. The weather even cooperated by staying dry until after all the trophies were handed out.

Sky Valley Chapter worked hard to pull off another class show. They began by passing out road closure notices downtown the week before the show, and posted No Parking signs along First Street on Friday morning to warn downtown parkers. At midnight Saturday, a small crew staked out the Cul-de-sac on Avenue A for the vendors. By 6 am Sunday, barricades were in place through out the road closure area, and vendors were already arriving to set up. First Street was officially closed to automobiles at 8 am, and the Snohomish police department towed a few abandoned cars to make room for motorcycles.

The King's Riders CMA prepared a wonderful pancake breakfast for all staff, vendors, and early birds. With all that happens early in the morning to get the show started, this breakfast is a welcome treat. Thanks, guys, for helping out!

Riders began showing up well before bike show registration opened at 9 am. By the time registration ended, 135 bikes had entered the show. This must have overwhelmed the viewers, because they voted a record number of ballots. Some last minute ballot stuffing led to delays in processing the votes. Yes, it took a long time to count the votes, and the trophy presentation was late. But, hey, it's a tough choice to pick a favorite in 14 categories with 135 bikes to choose from.

North Snohomish Chapter helped out with set up, traffic control, and T-shirt sales, and they set up secured parking in the Marks building parking lot near the band. It's too bad that the cops parked cars on Avenue B and blocked some access to the secured parking.

Several benefits were raffling new bikes again this year. Children's Hospital, Sun n Surf, and MDA had beautiful bikes on display. Did you get your tickets?

As usual, The Seattle Cossacks gave us another amazing performance, even with a missing uniform. Dave Eady was back performing again. Everyone I talked too enjoyed the show, and we've invited the Cossacks back again next year. These guys are the kind of ambassadors we need to reach our larger community.

After the Cossacks, we had three guest speakers. Senator Val Stevens and Representative John Koster from the 39th District gave brief talks about personal choice, freedom, helmet laws, and cheese-cutter guard rails. Val and John have supported ABATE's bills for several years now. From the crowd's reaction, I'd say that they made a good impression. It's great to see our elected officials coming to our turf once in a while. Sky Valley usually checks in with them each Freedom Run.

Our third guest made a quick, quiet visit and had his campaign girls say a few words. John Carlson is running for governor this fall, and Karen Bolin worked hard to set up an appearance at the show. For some reason, there was a mix up about the time of his speech, and Shannon and Sharon said he left early. Sky Valley says, "Where's the beef?--You said he was at the show, but you didn't introduce him to any ABATE staff." You can check out Carlson for yourself at www.johncarlson.com.

Seattle DJ Spike O'Neil announced the trophy winners again this year. He was quite good at handling the impatient crowd while we waited for the ballot count. And, no, there will not be a wet T-shirt contest next year. Sorry, Spike, but it's still a family show.

Five-year old Marissa Horning presented the trophies to the winners. She did a good job, and wasn't shy at all. After the presentation, she was photographed hanging around Big Al's Panhead. That could be a bad habit, but she'll be back next year.

Rick Doane made PA announcements for our sponsors through out the day. Spike has offered him an internship at the radio station, but it's a bit of a commute from Snohomish.

The Bike Show committee wants to say thanks to our sponsors who make the show financially possible. It costs about $5000 each year to put on the show, and we can't do it without sponsorships. We hope everyone enjoyed the results.

Thanks also to our many volunteers, starting with the non-riders who think our show is a great place to play: certified flaggers from Snohomish County who gave us a day's work at no charge, Bill Dewey and Paul Marzolf who took hundreds of digital photos, and Paulette who videotaped much of the show (coming soon to a theater near you).

Thanks to Randy Morrison who photographed the winners with his old-fashioned 35-mm professional camera (photos are already on the web). Thanks to the Sky Valley members who helped along the way, and who set up, blocked traffic, sold T-shirts, re-routed motorcycles, and ran countless errands all day. Thanks to my kids for letting me get so involved with the show, and thanks to Buck for helping me pull it all together one more time.

Oh, and no thanks to the 40 plus police officers that appeared without warning to help us out. We were told 8 officers would work, and we got a few extras. We haven't gotten a bill yet, so we don't know who is paying for all the babysitters. If you have a comments on the police presence, please email us.

We're also looking for suggestions for next year. We're planning on adding 2 new bike classes: Sport Bike and Side Car. If you have other ideas, or contact info for cool riding demos, send email to .

Read the Thunder Press report from the July 2000 issue.

http://www.snohomishbikeshow.org/00reportbd.htm-- Revised: 18 JUN 2004
Copyright 2000-2004
 

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