Friday the 13th March 2015

2 Friday the 13th in Port Dover March 2015

First Friday the 13th was November 13, 1981ONTARIO Provincial Police in Norfolk County continue to investigate a fail to remain, fatal motor vehicle collision that occurred following the Friday the 13th event in May 2011.

On Saturday, May 14, 2011 at approxi-mately 5:17 a.m., 20-year-old Chad Ever-ets, of Port Hope, was struck by an un-known vehicle on Cockshutt Road. The unknown vehicle never stopped and left the scene.

Norfolk County OPP continue to in-vestigate and if anyone has any informa-tion they are asked to contact 1-888-310-1122 or their nearest police authority.

“The OPP are currently following up on information provided by the pub-lic however someone in the community has knowledge of this collision and we need them to have the courage to come forward,” said Inspector Zvonko Horvat, Norfolk OPP Detachment Commander.

Police are asking anyone who may have seen Chad Everets or the suspect vehicle in the early morning hours of May 14, 2011 or who may have informa-tion to contact them.

Should you wish to remain anony-mous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or leave an anony-mous message at www.helpsolvecrime.com where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2000.

OPP need public’s helpto solve 2011 fatality

THE number of motorcyclists, and spectators who came to Friday the 13th Biker Days in Port Dover to admire the machines increased sharply as the 21st century dawned.

The first time the total number of bikes and visitors reached the 50,000 mark was in 2000. By 2003 on June 13 the estimated number surpassed 60,000 and that included more motorcycles than previously … and the makes and models were more varied.

In the summertime events that fol-lowed, numbers reached and topped 100,000 visitors in the single day.

Port Dover’s Friday the 13th had its modest beginning in 1981. It began inno-cently enough at a November event.

The story goes that Chris Simons sug-gested to a few motorcycle buddies that they meet for a few beers at the Commer-cial Hotel (today known as Angelo’s of Do-

ver). Word spread about the get-together so that Friday evening on November 13, 1981 about 25 guys showed up. They had a great time and someone suggested “let’s meet every month when there is a Friday the 13th.” More came to party in Port Dover on the next Friday the 13th. And, as they say, the rest is history.

The March 2015 event is number 59 over

a span of 34 years since that first casual and friendly meeting.

No attendance records are expected to be established in 2015. There are three events but all in “off season” months -- February, March and November. In 2016, there is only one Friday the 13th ... in May... followed by January and October in 2017.

Friday the 13th in Port Dover March 2015 3

Bikers atFriday 13th

$100


By Kerstein Mallon

THE OLD saying “practice makes perfect” applies to local artist and airbrush expert Tracey Freckleton.

Tracey moved to Bolton, Ontario from Montreal, when she was twelve years old. Her perspective on life and grown-up things differed from the political reality of the time -- a time she refers to as “the great English people migration of ‘77.”

The move changed her. As a result, she became an independent thinker. Growing up, Tracey spent hours drawing anything and everything. She had a passion for ex-pressing herself through art.

Today, she operates a successful paint

shop “CrazeePaint Airbrushing” in Sel-kirk. Her childhood dream of being an art-ist has become a very cool reality.

Tracey has always enjoyed the freedom of the open road when riding her motorcy-cle. Though, she often professed her dream of painting her own motorcycle, she never had the opportunity to try.

So, as fate would have it, a friend gifted her with her very first airbrush kit. Her words became a commitment and her jour-ney as a highly sought after airbrush artist began. Tracey has been airbrushing for over 11 years. She says “I am always improving and always getting better at what I do. The more you do something the better you get.”

She says her custom work can take any-

where from a week to 30 days to complete. It all depends on the size and intricacy of the job.

She has very high standards and is dedicated to ensuring customer satisfac-tion. She says that the work is meticulous, which goes hand-in-hand with her keen eye for detail and motivated personality.

“I am dedicated to doing it right, the fin-ished product needs to be exactly what the customer and I envisioned. Being stubborn helps,” she laughs.

“I am always trying new and more chal-lenging things.” She is inspired by the greats, Dali, Giger and Frazetta, but when it comes to detail; her idol is air brush

A passion for airbrush paintingSamples of work by airbrush artist Tracey Freckleton of CrazeePaint Airbrushing in Selkirk, Ontario.

> Continued on next page


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THE PERFECT FRIDAY THE 13TH THRILLER.

artist, Steven Leahy, who paints on tiny canvases such as razor blades. Leahy uses miniature stencils and airbrushes to paint miniature motorcycles and landscapes that are exactly like the originals. “He is amaz-ing,” she says.

Locally, she is commissioned by many independent shops, including Infinite Cus-toms, in Cayuga. Ryan and his skilled team specialize in repairs and service, mainte-nance and customization of all modes of transportation, from cars, trucks, motor-cycles, boats, etc. Their motto: “we pride ourselves on quality, personal service and fair pricing to every custom customer that walks in the door.” And Tracey fits right in.

Although, she is busy with her own clients, she champions many local fund raising efforts. By providing donations to causes such as “Helping Hands for Tanya, The Ride for Lupus and Autism Rodeo, she feels as though she is giving back to worthy causes.

Local fire hall captains proudly don her work on their helmets and Choppers Cus-tom Bike Shop in Selkirk contracts her skills for many of their custom paint jobs.

She thrives on meeting with clients and making their vision a reality. She is gaining popularity nationwide due to her unique ability to apply specific techniques to create forms and contours, as well as re-

alistic proportions to each piece. She can match colour by eye and her

ability to mold and express each individual design style is unrivaled. She can paint on anything. From helmets to dirt bikes, golf carts to lawn tractors, her talent is infinite.

Recently, JoAnn Bortles, of Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), an organization that networks aftermarket manufacturers, original equipment manu-facturers, media, car dealers, specialty equipment distributors, installers, retail-ers and restoration specialists, invited Tracey to Florida, to join a select team of women who will design and build a com-plete customized vehicle.

Tracey is on the paint and body team. She says “this is an opportunity of a life-time and the money raised goes to some re-ally great causes.”

Under the direction of the SEMA Busi-nesswomen’s Network (SBN), the project is designed to shine light on women working in the automotive aftermarket and encour-age more women to pursue careers in the industry.

Over the course of the build, modifi-cations will be made to all aspects of the car, including the engine, undercarriage, drive train, interior, sound system, exte-rior and paint. The finished vehicle will be auctioned off to raise money for the SEMA

Memorial Scholarship Fund, an organiza-tion dedicated to fostering the next genera-tion of automotive aftermarket leaders and innovators.

Tracey’s and the team’s finished prod-uct will be featured on Hot Rod T.V. as well as on the Hot Rod Power Tour. She’s defi-nitely living her dream.

Tracey is an entrepreneur who is true to her passion. She is an artist, a leader, a teacher and a friend. Her imagination knows no boundaries. Her commitment to her art promises the very best in every-thing she does. To book a consultation, call 905-776-0967 or check out her gallery www.facebook.com/crazeepaint.airbrushing

Airbrush artist Tracey Freckleton of CrazeePaint Airbrushing.

She can paint on anything...


THE Toronto International Motorcycle SPRINGSHOW has signed movie and televi-sion personality Kim Coates to be the special guest of the 2015 show, being held March 21 and 22 at the Toronto International Centre.

Coates is recognized internationally for his role as Tig Trager on the hit television series, Sons of Anarchy.

‘Tig’ was the Sergeant-at-Arms in the outlaw motorcycle gang of the show’s title, a role that continued through all seven sea-sons. Motorcyclists make up a huge percent-age of the fans of this acclaimed FX series and now they have the opportunity to meet ‘Tig’ in person at the SPRINGSHOW.

Originally from Saskatoon, Saskatch-ewan, Coates has been acting professionally since 1981, from Toronto to New York, and now resides in Los Angeles, California.

Some of his over 50 movie credits include Goon, Black Hawk Down and Resident Evil: Afterlife.

His many television arcs include: En-tourage, Prison Break, and CSI: Miami. On stage Coates portrayed ‘Macbeth’ at Strat-ford, Ontario and ‘Stanley’ in A Streetcar Named Desire on Broadway.

Organizers of SPRINGSHOW say “it’s re-ally nice for Coates to come home and spend time with his Canadian fans as Sons of An-archy is now wrapped and his upcoming

projects are in full swing.”He will be at the SPRINGSHOW both

days of the show on Saturday and Sun-day, March 21 & 22. For appearance times and more information visit www.motorcy-clespringshow.com

Show attendees will be given a free copy of International Motorcycle Magazine, fea-turing Kim Coates on the cover, when they enter the Show -- perfect for autographing. It will also feature an in depth interview in-side that issue.

The SPRINGSHOW, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, is the springtime sea-son opener for motorcyclists. It’s tradition-ally where they plan their riding season, shop for all the new gear and check out the new motorcycles for 2015.

The Show also features over 40 motor-cycle clubs and associations, a prestigious show bike competition, the red carpet ‘Bikes of the Century’ display, racing displays, an entertainment stage, a used bike market and the new ‘Pickers Market’.

SPRINGSHOW 2015 opens Saturday March 21st at 10 a.m. and runs until 9 p.m.. Sunday hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The In-ternational Centre is located at 6900 Airport Road in Toronto. See coupon on front page of this newspaper to save $3 off adult admis-sion to the show.

SPRINGSHOW is March 21 & 22 at International Centre

PHOTO COURTESY CIGAR & SPIRITS MAGAZINE

Actor Kim Coates, ‘Tig’ from Sons of Anarchy


MOTORCYCLES are as individ-ual as their owners

Chris Currey of Sault St. Ma-rie, Ontario was getting tired of driving to Port Dover and being shuttled in by bus just to be at Friday the 13th, one of his fa-vourite events.

“I saw all the beautiful bikes and was inspired by Port Do-ver’s Friday the 13th to buy a motorcycle.”

So on Friday the 13th in April 2007 he visited Rocky’s Harley-Davidson in London and bought his first motorcycle.

Chris who works for CN Rail purchased a 2007 Harley-David-son FLSTF Fat Boy and rode it to Port Dover that night. He hasn’t looked back or missed a (warm weather) Friday the 13th since.

After that first ride he want-ed to further tribute Friday the 13th and has customized the bike with 13 skulls.

The air breather cover is a half skull. He drilled out the eye

socket and put a LED red light in it. This is in tribute to one of his favourite movies, The Ter-minator. Add some red and blue LED ground effect lighting and we have one awesome looking motorcycle.

Chris, now 60 has attended many other motorcycle events since purchasing his bike in-cluding Ride for Sight and the 105th Anniversary for Harley-Davidson in Milwaukee among many others.Upcoming 13ths

find us at www.facebook.com/Fridaythe13thPortDover

live streaming at www.ustream.tv/channel/Main-Street-Port-Dover

351 Main StreetPO Box 70Port Dover ON N0A 1N0Tel: [email protected]

Lynn SonnenbergPublication Coordinator

We welcome your comments about Friday the 13th and Port Dover in general!

Published by Maple Leaf PublishingPaul Morris, PublisherStan Morris, Editor

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WELCOME to Port Dover for the fifty-ninth consecutive Friday the 13th.

Even though there are three events in 2015, it’s too bad that we don’t have a warm weather event this year for everyone to get together. The first Friday the 13th this year was a frigid cold day in February. It should be a beautiful early spring day for this March event but after a long winter, we’ll wait and see how many bikes are on the road.

The next event is in November this year. The only event on the calendar in 2016 is in May which will hope-fully be good weather and a big event.

We in Port Dover will be glad to see the end of this long, cold winter. Summer is our funtime with many events to happen. Please come back and visit when you can see all our shops, restaurants, the beach and everything else that we have to offer. Make our playground yours.

You can visit www.port-dovermapleleaf.com or www.portdover.ca for information on all upcoming events.

Whatever your summer brings for you, ride safe. Have a wonderful day!

Lynn SonnenbergPublication Co-ordinator

Welcome to Fridaythe 13th

PEOPLE of the 13th


By Sylvia Collins

MANY years ago Friday the 13th occurred in November. I had just bought an old Honda Goldwing that year.

I had always had a vision of owning an old Goldwing and stripping it down so that it was just the bare bike. No fairing, no bags, no back rest. Just take off all the ‘stuff ’ and see the beautiful bike.

That was going to be my project when I

bought the Goldwing. I looked at the calendar and realized that

Friday the 13th was going to be in a cold month that year, and I had discovered that being tucked in behind all of the protection of my new bike was very comfortable and cozy. I changed my plan and decided to keep all the ‘stuff ’ on the bike and ride to the 13th on my Goldwing.

The weather was predicted to be cold, but with low chance of precipitation. The deci-sion was made to go ahead and make a day of the ride there, some time spent looking, and then the ride home.

It was a family event that year. Myself, my husband and my daughter would all be riding down with a few friends.

The ride down was uneventful and I was feeling especially smug about my little bub-ble of protection behind all the gaudy ‘stuff ’ on my bike.

We rode into town and were able to arrive at Tim Hortons parking lot without much in-terruption. We were met with a small crowd of bikes and some very enthusiastic riders.

As I was parking and then getting off of my bike, another bike pulled in beside me. It was a vintage Honda 750 four. The fellow rid-ing it was dressed from head to toe in insu-lated coveralls, extra hand protection, high boots, face protection and helmet liner.

He parked his bike and then struck up a conversation about my Goldwing. We com-pared notes about our 750 fours. I had one at home in the garage, but hadn’t wanted to ride it that day because of the extra protec-tion of the Goldwing.

We talked about the history of the bike, the love of vintage Honda’s and how great that particular bike had been in its time. Af-

ter about 20 minutes of chat about our bikes we eventually bid each other farewell and wished each other a great day of looking at the bikes.

I am always enthusiastic about talking about my old Hondas and those that have been witness to these conversations often mock me.

That is exactly what happened when I turned to join family and friends and head out for a look around. They just don’t have the same love or perspective as I do. I was feeling ok about that. I had met a kindred spirit.

We had engaged in a lively conversation about his bike, my bike and our love for vin-tage Honda’s. What more could a girl ask for?

I was walking along Main Street and admiring some of the bikes that had been brought in, or ridden in. I was enjoying the camaraderie of friends and family. We were turning and watching the bikes that were riding in, or riding around. We were making

plans to find some sustenance when all of a sudden my husband pointed to an extremely under-dressed man riding a 750 four up the middle of Main Street.

He was wearing nothing but a gold lamé thong!!

What I heard was “Hey, look hun, there goes your new best friend!”

Sure enough, there he went. With noth-ing on but a thong and a smile!!

I am usually in Port Dover at some point during the day on Friday the 13th. I often see my old friend at some point during my trav-els. I always wave and send a greeting.

He is a fellow rider. He is passionate about his bike. He loves to make people smile and enjoy their day. He likes to inter-act with people.

The same could be said about me, I just go about it in a different way. So, when you see him on the streets just wave and smile and let him know you are enjoying your day and he has made you smile, that will make his day!

Once upon a time on Friday the 13th

My casual meeting with “Thong Man”

Widely known as “Thong Man”, Paul Nurmi was dressed as cupid for February 2015’s Friday the 13th, shown here inside Schofield’s Bistro on Main Street.

Sylvia’s Honda she rode to Port Dover.

Sylvia Collins


PEOPLE in Lucan, Ontario, are counting down the days until the community’s Bacon-fest on July 11 this year.

This event is organized around its’ motto ‘Everything Bacon and Bikes’. The program certainly emphasizes that with lots of tasty foods, plus a Hogs & Hot Rods Show and Shine, a Bike Wash, Townwide Walking Pok-er Run, Live Bands, Beer Garden, Vendor Village, a Kids Zone and more … it will be a great day.

Last year’s initial event was so success-ful it took many in Lucan by surprise. The

day was the brainchild of Mike Koricina and Teresa Burns of Hogtown Cycles with an estimated 3000 people attending the one-day event. It is reported there were so many people in the downtown core “it resembled a can of sardines with attendees all but stacked on top of one another.”

Baconfest Lucan 2014 was so successful that almost all local businesses ran out of the event’s namesake … bacon. Worry not in 2015, this year’s planning committee is do-ing everything it can to ensure there will be bacon enough for everyone … with a bigger

and better program to make it more comfort-able for everyone to be on the street, regard-less of how many are in Lucan on July 11.

“All of us at Hogtown Cycles are excited about the Second Annual Baconfest Lucan,” says event organizer Teresa Burns. “People, as it turns out, love a Bike and Bacon Won-derland,” she says with a smile. Organizer Burns knows first hand it takes a great deal of work and dedicated volunteers to make a great Baconfest event, “but we are up to the challenge,” she says.

“Bikes, bands, beer and bacon,” she com-ments, adding “what more could you ask for all in one day?

The Lucan Biddulph (Township) Com-munity Development Committee members are planning to improve the second annual Baconfest, as well as promoting this year’s event far and wide. They attended the North American International Motorcycle Super-show in Toronto, and while there distrib-uted thousands of advertising post cards. They are in Port Dover for Friday the 13th to distribute advertising material to motor-cycle enthusiasts.

Baconfest will attract visitors from a wide area and offer a great ride to Lucan. The Lucan business community is solidly behind the Baconfest organizing committee, saying, “anything that helps put Lucan on the map is good in our books!”

Lucan is located about 25 kilometres north of London.

Enjoy bikes, bands, beer, bacon and this photo op at the second annual Lucan Bacon-fest on Saturday, July 11th.

Baconfest Lucan invites bikers July 11


ROSE Yerex’s love of bikes led her to a Friday 13th event in Port Dover in July of 1984 where she met her life part-ner, Greg.

A true Friday 13th love story, they married the fol-lowing June and have since enjoyed many short and long distance rides together.

Born in the ’50s, Rose re-members riding on the back of her brother’s Honda 90 while she was in high school.

Her first street bike was a Honda 350. “It was good enough to get me where I wanted to go,” she said. She lived in Toronto and Rose would ride her motorcycle most of the year, using the motorcycle police as her guide for when to put her bike away.

“It was back when wom-en didn’t ride their own motorcycles,” Rose said. “I did most of my riding solo. Everyone was surprised, when I stopped and took my helmet off, to see a female changing oil in the parking

lot.” Over the years, Rose has

owned quite a few bikes. The 350 didn’t last long. She moved up to mid-range, al-ways riding 650 to 750 cc bikes and a 2001 800 cc Kawa-saki Vulcan Classic.

Greg and Rose have now taken many great motorcy-cle trips together.

“Lots of women ride

their own motorcycles now,” Rose noted. “But I do most of my riding with Greg.” Locally, their favourite rides are along the lakeshore east and west.

“I love Friday 13th. I think it is wonderful,” she said. “I’ve seen it grow over the years and I see all the dollars that come in to town from this event.”

Rose Yerex of Port Dover on a Kawasaki Vulcan Classic.

Met her husband at Biker DayCLASSIC FRIDAY THE 13th

MARCH 2015 is Biker Day number 59 since the event started in 1981 and it has attracted bikers from across Ontario, across Canada, the United States and international visitors.

It was on Friday, September 13, 1996, Biker Day number 26, and by then word had spread across Canada, and beyond, of the popularity of the event and the number of bikers who attended.

The attendance figures were increasing dramatically with each Port Dover Biker Day. Ted Bratby, a resident of Derby, Eng-land came to Canada just to be at a Friday the 13th Biker’s Day.

Bratby said he has been to Port Dover many times before to visit his sister Marga-

ret George, but says his trip that time was, “for Friday the 13th.”

Bratby had a 1960 BSA Golden Flush, sometimes called an A-10, back home in Derby.

He said he has attended a similar event like Port Dover’s in Mattock, Derbyshire England. The event there closed the main street each Sunday, he said. The residents of the small English town once tried to stop the bikers from congregating in town, but were unable to.

“It’s similar to this one in Port Dover, they just seem to gather on that particular day and no one seems to know for what rea-son it is,” said Bratby.

Biker visited from England


Vendors are popular with visitors at Friday the 13th in the riding months.

This Indian motorcycle was part of a display of bikes at a recent Biker Day.

CANADA’S Most Rider Friendly Commu-nity Contest is a rural tourism initiative of the Rider Friendly Business Association. This is an opportunity for riders across Canada to vote for their favourite rider friendly destination … Port Dover should be high on many lists!

Entries will be accepted from July 1, 2015 to November 30, 2015. It is a contest of ex-ploration, discovery and community pride: www.riderfriendlycontest.ca

The “Grand Prize Winning Community” will win a multi-media marketing package

worth $35,000 with 11 secondary prizes.Right across Canada, there are people

who ride motorcycles and visit communi-ties. In fact in 10 years the motorcycle tour-ing community has grown to over 700,000 … and they all have a favourite place to ride … these communities cater to and invite rid-ers. The competition is open to all Canadian communities with a population not to ex-ceed 125,000.

To be eligible, a community must be nominated by an entrant who has submit-ted an entry to www.riderfriendlycontest.ca

Vote online to choose Canada’s ‘Most Rider Friendly Community”


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By Paul Boulanger

LIKE many motorcycle enthusiasts, I’ve had dreams of riding into the sunset on the ultimate ride of rides.

Back in 2008, three long-time rid-ing friends and I decided to attempt such a ride – from Los Angeles, Cali-fornia to the Arctic Circle in Alaska. The ride, which took six weeks to complete, was the culmination of many bucket list rides that I have ex-perienced with these friends.

Having said that, I now fast for-ward to last summer – August of 2014. The Alaska/Arctic Circle ride (Part II) came into being when some of the guys that had missed the ride in 2008, planned a make-up trip. They wanted myself and a fellow US Marine friend of mine Mike Hodge who now lives in North Bend, Washington, to lead them on this new adventure.

The plan was for my wife Gail and I to ride west from Port Dover and meet up with Mike at his home in North Bend and wait for the other four riders to come up to Washington from California.

Gail and I departed on August 3rd and crossed the border at Sarnia with the idea of reaching the Macki-naw Bridge and getting as close as possible to Rudyard, Michigan and to Hwy 2 on the first day.

On the second day, we set off for Duluth, Minnesota with very black clouds and rain on our tails. The third day saw us in Minot, North Da-kota with a stop at the local HD deal-ership to fix a taillight. Still follow-ing Hwy 2 west, we stopped in Shelby, Montana on the fourth night.

On the fifth day we were forced to stop in the afternoon in Cle Elum, Washington because of road repairs and blasting going on in the Sno-qualmie Pass. I called Mike from the hotel room to let him know we were close.

The other riders made it to the

rendezvous two days later. They are Mike Serleto, a retired fire paramed-ic from LA riding a Triumph Spring; Craig Bloor, a retired policeman from LA riding a Kawasaki; Phil Garcia, a semi-retired Fire Chief from LA riding a BMW Enduro and Ed Hen-neberque, a retired motor policeman from Culver City, California riding a BMW twin. Our host Mike Hodge is a retired City Administrator from Cul-ver City, California, riding a Harley Tri-Glide trike and myself, retired and formerly from Ontario, Califor-nia riding a Harley Road Glide.

Our departure at 7:15 a.m. on Au-gust the 11th coincided with rain as we follow a dozen elk down Mike’s driveway out to the main road. We are heading for Williams Lake, B.C. a distance of 425 miles via the Fraser River Valley. It gets very hot during the day but the scenery is fantastic.

On day 2, we have 400 miles to get to Dawson Creek, B.C. but we get to visit a HD dealership in Prince George while repairs are made to suspect fuses on Mike’s trike.

Port Dover to Alaska – and back – 9,758 miles


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We visit the historic “Start of the Alaska Highway” sites in Dawson Creek and head for Fort Nelson – another 283 miles down a highway under heavy construction.

On day 4, we head for Watson Lake, “The signpost capital of Canada” and are con-fronted with smoke filled skies from the many forest fires. We arrive in Whitehorse on day 5 and decide to take a tour on the fa-mous Yukon/White Pass railroad. The White Pass is the site of the dangerous mountain climb that most of the gold rush miners had to master to reach the Klondike gold fields.

From Whitehorse, we ride to Tok, Alaska and develop a buddy system so that there are at least two people stopping to take photos. The rain keeps following us and the road construction is relentless.

Onward to Fairbanks – we stop just 30 miles short of that city to visit the North Pole. North Pole has a population of 4,000 with a post office that receives lots of mail addressed to Santa Claus that is answered by local volunteers.

The following day, four of us ride up to the Arctic Circle, stopping at the Yukon River Camp to refuel. The Dalton Highway is muddy and the going is slow – it is good to have dirt bike experience because we are often going sideways on uphills. There is a signpost at the Arctic Circle and we pose again like the typical tourists we are.

On the way back to Fairbanks, I drop one of my mufflers and have to tie it on with

wire until I can fix it properly. We head south to Anchorage via Mt.

McKinley and ride between the train tracks through a 2.5-mile tunnel to get through the mountain range that separates Whittier from the rest of the Kenai Peninsula.

While in Anchorage, I suddenly have an ignition problem – the switch is not in stock. Since we have reservations booked down the road, I decide not to order the part but to dis-connect the battery whenever I stop and fix it in Seattle – sometimes you have to do what is best for the whole group and forge on!

Leaving Anchorage, we ride to Beaver Creek in the cold and the rough “Tundra Dips”. From there, we set our sights on Haines, Alaska. The road to Haines goes over a mountain pass and we are lost to civilization and in the clouds for a couple of hours doing 10-15 miles per hour.

Our motorcycles are loaded aboard the ferry ‘Columbia’ at midnight and the group relocates to two cabins for cocktails. There are four bunks in each cabin and my wife settles in with three men all the while man-aging to keep a smile on her face in spite of the snoring.

The Inland Passage is spectacular and the sailing is very smooth. The trip takes three days to Bellingham, Washington. Then we’re on our way to Mike’s place to unwind. My bike is back in the Eastern Harley deal-ership for that ignition switch to be replaced and a new back tire that now has some 8,000

hard miles of 2-up riding on it.It’s on the 1st of September that Gail and I

mount up, say adios and head east following the Interstates 90 and 84 back to Minneapo-lis, around Lake Michigan and Chicago to re-enter Canada at Sarnia. We cross the bor-der at 8 p.m. on the 4th of September and are eastbound on the 402 when I get the feeling that my back tire is not doing well! I manage to creep into a truck stop and try to inflate my very low tire – the tire will not hold air in spite of using a tire sealer so the call for help goes out to the famous CAA. The bike is loaded onto a trailer and taken to Rocky’s HD in London.

We arrive in Port Dover the afternoon of September 5th with 9,758 miles covered on this trip and an odometer that now reads 126,751 miles.

The trip was indeed an awesome adven-ture – a little more expensive than I had planned but nevertheless worth it.

I would highly recommend it to any of you adventurers that would usually say, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead”!

One piece of advice, prepare your ma-chine the best you can and be ready for anything that may spring upon you with-out warning (a valid and fresh credit card helps). The best and safest way to travel by motorcycle is with friends in tow.

Not to be outdone, a few of us are plan-ning a bike trip to Newfoundland in July of this year … and the beat goes on!

Prepare your machine the best you can and be ready for anything

Welcome Bikers


‘On the Fringe’ a must stopfor bikers on Friday the 13th

Elaina Pring of ‘On the Fringe’ on Main Street in downtown Port Dover has a full line of products for motorcyclists.

On The Fringe shop on Main Street in Port Dover is a “must see” on Friday the 13th.

ON THE FRINGE on Main Street in Port Do-ver is busy every Friday the 13th, whatever the season and whatever the weather.

The popular store and its owner Elaina Pring have developed a long-term relation-ship with bikers from almost everywhere.

With custom designed Friday 13th t-shirts, unique bling on everything from chaps to jackets, knee chaps, vests and much more, On the Fringe and Destination 13 is ready for the crowd of bikers who will

drop into the store on Friday the 13th and throughout the year.

Elaina Pring fell in love with Port Do-ver when she opened her store in the resort town made famous by Friday the 13th.

Her lifestyle is a busy one. Her first taste of retailing came in 1970 when she had a booth at a Bluegrass festival stocked with haltertops. She sold them all and has not looked back.

In 1984 Elaina opened a leather and acces-

sory shop in Toronto called ‘On the Fringe’ and five years later expanded to Daytona to create another On The Fringe with just about everything for motorcyclists. The To-ronto store closed after a serious fire.

Elaina’s artistic beginnings at Humber College have made her leatherwork unique and much sought-after. “Leather is a motor-cyclist’s suit of armour,” Elaina says, know-

ing “it is mandatory, but it has become more of a fashion statement.”

Elaina explains that Friday the 13th in Port Dover is where large groups of people meet friends and make new ones. “They meet for good food and good times in a small town atmosphere,” she says, adding “bik-ing is all about riding in the wind with your friends and sharing good times.”


Business to BikerB2B. Check these out

This souvenir newspaper is publishedfor Friday the 13th events in Port Dover.

For information on advertising in future editionscontact [email protected]

or call 519.583.0112

PORT Dover entertained motorcycle enthusiasts from all over the conti-nent at the last summer Friday the 13th in June 2014. And Harley-David-son Canada hosted a spectacular com-petition.

The challenge took place on a 65 foot barge at the pier. While acclaimed artists Letter Legends demonstrated their graffiti art, onlookers were in-

vited to watch 17 regional finalists, who had recently visited participating retailers across Ontario and were en-tered into a draw.

The contenders were selected to be eligible to win a brand new 2014 Har-ley-Davidson, Dyna or Soft-tail motor-cycle of their choice.

Organizers said the entire event was a great success. The town was agreeable and accommodating.

To add to the excitement of the event, Kevin Rempel, a sledge hockey Olympian from Ancaster and Jan Hudec, an alpine ski racing Olympian from Alberta, brought their magical bronze medals that they had won at the Sochi Olympics to show the crowd.

By process of elimination, the two athletes had to draw the unlucky names from a box. Each time a name was selected, that person was disqual-ified. It was tense. “This is more pres-sure than when I am at the Olympics,” Hudec told the crowd.

After what seemed like an eternity, there was only one name remaining. Lucy Decker from Kitchener had won the grand prize.

Lucy had clung onto Jan Hudec’s bronze medal throughout the entire

production. She was rubbing the med-al, caressing it, squeezing it. She told a reporter, “this is the reason I won, I’ve never won anything in my life. I’m cry-ing right now.” Jan didn’t even realize that she had the medal until the end. It was a spectacular afternoon.

The camaraderie, thrill-seeking and competitive spirit that brings the crowds to Port Dover for Friday the 13th was at the forefront of this event. A day easily remembered, especially for Lucy Decker.

Harley-Davidson awardednew bike at Friday the 13th

Lucy Decker of Kitchener won a Harley-Davidson at last June’s Friday the 13th event.

Olympian Kevin Rempel drawing names at the event in Port Dover harbour.

Motorcycle licence typesTO DRIVE a motorcycle in Ontario, you will need an M Class licence. The type of licence you get will depend on the type of motorcycle you want to drive. The three main types are:

M (includes M1 and M2): for full-speed motor-cycles.

M with condition L (includes M1 and M2-L): for mopeds and motor-ized scooters (also called “limited-speed” motor-cycles).

M with condition M (includes M1 and M2-M): for three-wheeled motor-cycles.

To apply for a motor-cycle licence in Ontario, you need to be at least 16 years old, pass an eye test, pass a written test about the rules of the road and traffic signs

Once you pass these tests, you get an M1 li-cence. You are consid-ered a beginner rider and need to practice rid-ing and gain experience.


Documents

Friday the 13th March 2015