First and foremost Kenosha H.O.G. is a riding chapter. We ride to have fun!
Kenosha H.O.G. was founded in 1988 with approximately 35 members. We currently have over 500 members. We are sponsored by Uke's Harley-Davidson. Uke's owner, Keith Ulicki and his wife, Nanc, are also active in our Chapter. The key to a successful H.O.G. Chapter is participation by everyone.
Our 2009 Primary Officers are: John Tierney - Director, Jim "Moses" Urban - Assistant Director, Brenda Thompson - Treasurer, and Sandy Miller - Secretary.
Kevin Raleigh is the Activities Officer. Our Head Road Captain is Bob Evans. Bob and all of the Road Captains already have some great rides planned for 2009. Wisconsin has some beautiful scenic routes, tasty food and fun ice cream stops! Come along - You'll be glad you did!
Our Safety Officer is Paul Steffensen. He'll be coordinating the Experienced Riders Course, training for our Road Captains and passing along safety information for our Chapter. Pam Rose is our Chapter Editor; she puts together the newsletter every month entitled "Hog Breath". Anytime you would like to submit an article to the newsletter, just send it to Pam and she'll put it in the next issue. Our LOH officer is Kathy Nixon. Kathy has some fun activities planned this year. Check your monthly Hog Breath to see what's coming up. Maggie Walther is our Membership Officer. She coordinates membership renewals and new member sign ups at the meetings. Curtiss Belgarde is the Head Chapter photographer. You never know when he will be there to catch a 'candid' moment! Geoffrey Markus is our Chapter Historian. He has a lot of albums filled with past articles and pictures of events we've held over the years. Be sure to get a look at them when you can. Joan Lesko is our "Sunshine Lady". She keeps track of all the members' birthdays and anniversaries (be sure to write down your birthday and partner's name on the Membership Information Form).
Our meetings are held at the Brat Stop (Hwy. 50 & I-94) the second Sunday of every month. (July meeting is a picnic. Check the website.) June through September meetings are normally held at 9 am to give us more riding time. October through April meetings normally start at 10 am. Be sure to follow your copy of Hog Breath for exact meeting dates, times and event dates - they do change sometimes. If you come early to the meetings, you can eat breakfast and drink free coffee.
How do you get to know other Chapter members? Walking into a meeting with 300 hundred people can be intimidating, but we all have a common interest - riding and having fun! One of the best ways to get to know people is to volunteer to help out at a Chapter function. Don't want to volunteer? Come join us on a ride. Kenosha H.O.G. is a riding chapter; check the Online Calendar, or Newsletter for upcoming rides. Our Chapter Events are listed below.
If you attend half of the Chapter meetings and half of the Chapter Events, you're eligible for a Chapter Event Pin.
Chapter Events are:Polar Bear Ride - January 1st. Did you know that every New Years Day a group of hardy (?) individuals actually jump into Lake Michigan? Well they do and every year we kick off our riding season (yes, some folks ride to the event) with the annual Polar Bear Ride. Bundle up and come join us! We meet at Uke's at 10 am. Alternately the Harley Davidson Museum Tour.
Chili Cook-off - Do you make a great chili? Enter our Chili Cook-Off Contest. Or if the dinner bell at your house is the smoke alarm, join us after the March Meeting to enjoy and judge the chili others have prepared. (Bring your own Beano!)
Break-out Ride - Our first 'ride' of the season. The Road Captains put together a nice route to hone up on our riding skills. This is a great ride to get to enjoy some time with fellow riding enthusiasts.
Baraboo - Baraboo is our annual Memorial Ride the weekend after Mother's Day. It is an overnighter. We take the same route prepared by Ron Young many years ago. It is a tribute to Ron, who was killed by a drunk driver shortly after leading this ride, as well as all the members who have passed on since. He was on his way to Uke's to pick up his new bike, but never made it there. Those members who were on the first ride decided to make it an annual event. This is one ride where you will get to know many of our members. Once in Baraboo, some of us park our bikes and spend the rest of the day socializing. If you want to go see some of the beautiful countryside, there are always some folks who take a ride too. Some folks hit the tattoo parlor and some go to the nearby casino. It's definitely a good time.
Open House - Keith and Nancy have hosted an Open House the first weekend in June for many years and have added an Open House in September too. It's double the fun. Chapter Members are encouraged to join in the festivities. Our Chapter runs the bike games and we hope to see one of our members win! There's something for everyone!
Poker Run - Feeling Lucky? Our poker run is one way to find out if you're ready for Vegas. Our poker run has a starting point where you will get your tally sheet and directions to the next stop. At every stop you draw a card and get directions to the next stop. Best hand wins. Everyone always enjoys the routes and camaraderie.
Picnic - Our July meeting is a good old fashioned family picnic. Bring the kids and be prepared to have fun.
Fall Color/Rustic Road Ride - What's one of the most scenic times of the year? Fall, of course, when the trees have a range of colors from yellow to bright red. One of our Road Captains sets up a route that assures you will see some of the most scenic roads in WI.
At every meeting and event, there will be a sign in sheet. These sheets are used to track your attendance. The sign in sheets track perfect attendance and regular attendance to qualify you for a Chapter Event Pin. If you attend half of the chapter meetings and half of the designated chapter events you qualify for an event pin. Don't forget to sign in!
If you ever need to find out what is going on, check it out on the web site! The web site is located at http://www.kenoshahogchapter.com. The website is full of information and pictures.
We are glad that you are a part of our Chapter and don't forget - the more involved you are, the more fun you can have. Ride and Have Fun!
For information on what the chapter can offer or becoming a member please contact the Membership Officer: Maggie Walther Email-- (262) 877-8571
