Are you in the Northeast? Is your club, bike shop, or dealership doing something cool? Do you have important news about your state’s motor­cyclists’ rights organization? If you have facts, gossip, rumors, innuendos, emerging scandals, or “everybody’s gotta know” info about the local riding scene, please send it to me at mkleiman@goodsamfamily.com. If the Shadow knows, everybody knows!

The annual America’s 911 Memorial Motorcycle Ride commemorating the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon took place August 18–21. The first ride, with 250 participating, was in October 2001, just after the bombings and has grown larger every year with riders coming from all over the country. This year was the largest to date, with nearly 2,700 first responders, survivors, supporters and families of those killed in the attacks. The ride started in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, continued to the Pentagon and ended at the World Trade Center crash sites. Each rider carried a card with the name of a victim. America’s 911 Foundation funds a college scholarship program for children of active and disabled first responders, and has presented scholarships to more than 70 children, and will present 15 separate $2,000 scholarships this year. The foundation has also donated over a quarter of a million dollars to fire, police and ambulance departments and families of first responders. America’s 911 has also given 10 new Harley-Davidson police bikes to escorting departments, with the Greenwich (Connecticut) Police Department being named recipient of this year’s police motorcycle… Another memorial ride, the Elvis Run, took place on 9/11/11 to honor Newark, New Jersey firefighter Mike “Elvis” DeLane who died in the line of duty in 1994. Over 1,200 bikers left Rockaway, New Jersey, riding 25 miles to Newark where everyone was treated to live music, food and a bike show. The Newark Firefighters Pipe Band also performed “Amazing Grace” to memorialize the lives lost on 9/11/01… Betsy Lister, the founder of online biker news source Bikerbits and Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame inductee, was invited by the Diamond Posse to be a celebrity rider in the Diamond Posse Serving Veterans Ride. The Diamond Posse is made up of three courageous women—Vicki “Spitfire” SanFelipo, Cat Hammes the One-Legged Blonde and “Diva” Amy Skaling—who have joined forces to give hope and encouragement to veterans who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. The group has partnered with the NEADS (National Education for Assistance Dog Services) Canines for Combat Veterans program that trains service dogs for veterans. Each of the four women had a posse riding along; Betsy left from her home in Boston on September 5 to meet up with the others (Vicki from Wisconsin, Amy from Utah and Cat from Texas) on September 11 at Gail’s Harley-Davidson in Grandview, Missouri, for the dealership’s 9/11 tribute event. The Diamond Posse’s goal for this ride was to raise funds to buy a service dog for a disabled combat vet. To make a donation to the group’s veteran outreach mission, you can go to www.diamondposse.us/contribute… The 1st annual Tom Hannum Memorial Ride was held October 1–2 in memory of Tom Hannum Jr., the owner of Hannum’s H-D in Media, Pennsylvania, and its sister location in Chadds Ford. Tommy Hannum—Tom Jr.’s son—led the ride from the Media dealership through Potter County, with an overnight stay in Galeton. In spite of the gloomy weather the group enjoyed the spectacular vistas of the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon and the fall foliage along scenic Route 6. I hear plans are already in the works for next year’s ride… Wyoming Valley, a region in Northeast Pennsylvania, has been long known—even pre-dating my childhood years there—as the Valley with a Heart, and once again, folks in that area have proven themselves worthy of the epithet. On September 4, the Valley with a Heart Foundation held its 11th annual motorcycle run to benefit special needs kids in NEPA. The 50-mile ride started with breakfast at Hillside Grove in Mountaintop and ended with a picnic at Holy Child Grove in Sheatown… The inaugural Rich Kosco Memorial Ride was held on September 17 at Kosco Harley-Davidson in Kinnelon, New Jersey, to raise money for Puppies Behind Bars, a 501(c)(3) organization that trains prison inmates to raise puppies to become service dogs for disabled people and to detect explosives for law enforcement agencies. The idea for the ride started with Kosco customer Karen Austin who approached dealership owner Rich Kosco with the concept. Rich thought it was a great idea, but he passed away unexpectedly this past March before the ride could occur. Rich’s wife Denise asked Karen to go ahead with setting up the ride, and with the help of Kosco H-D Office Manager Cheri Sisco and Shari Ives, the owner of Motorcycle Riding Centers, the idea became a reality. Nearly 200 bikes left Kosco H-D for a fully-escorted 65-mile ride, returning to the dealership for lunch, vendors, entertainment and door prizes. Eric Barsness from Puppies Behind Bars brought one of the dogs being trained at the Federal Correctional Institute at Otisville, New York, to the event, and to date, about $7,000 was raised. This amount will allow Denise Kosco to sponsor a service dog, and she’ll even get the opportunity to name the pup. The ride was such a success that Karen is already planning for next year. To find out more or donate to the organization, go to www.puppiesbehindbars.com… On September 5, Big John’s Pub in West Milford, New Jersey, held its Labor Day Customer Appreciation BBQ. This event is one of the thrice-annual bashes that Stacey and her crew puts on, and as always, there was plenty of good food available at the outdoor picnic area. Diva Dawn was set up with her line of Metal di Muse jewelry, and the Joe Taino Band played inside the bar. The best thing, besides the fun and friendly crowd that always gathers? The whole shebang is free! What a great way to celebrate my birthday!