CRUISIN U S NEWS Gold Wing Road Riders Association Chapter U Dothan, AL. Southeast Region A FRIENDS FOR FUN, SAFETY, AND KNOWLEDGE

Transcription

1 GWRRA AL-U News May 2017

2 Page 2 CRUISIN U S NEWS Gold Wing Road Riders Association Chapter U Dothan, AL. Southeast Region A FRIENDS FOR FUN, SAFETY, AND KNOWLEDGE CHAPTER DIRECTORS Bruce & Eileen Williamson eileengram@aol.com ASSISTANT CHAPTER DIRECTORS Pat & Darnell Lapera patlapera@yahoo.com SUNSHINE LADY Darnell Lapera patlapera@yahoo.com CHAPTER EDUCATOR LTC James & Freida Clayson james.clayson@gmail.com TREASURER Melissa Stumpf melissa.stumpf@yahoo.com NEWSLETTER EDITOR Richard Stumpf (334) richard.stumpf1@gmail.com TECHNICAL ADVISOR Mike and Jessica Tatum banjomt@gmail.com WAYS & MEANS Joan and Ray Collier joancollier@aol.com REGION A DIRECTORS Jim & Sue Jackson RegionDirector@gwrraregion.org DISTRICT COUPLE OF THE YEAR Robert & Gail Brown MONTHLY GATHERING Second Tuesday of every month 6:00 PM Eat - 7:00 PM Meet Golden Corral, Dothan AL TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter & State Officers.2 District News...3 SAADD News... 5 District Rider Ed..6 Chapter Rider Ed....7 Bruce & Eileen s Gab..9 Ride Schedule 10 Calendar ALABAMA DISTRICT DIRECTORS Frank & Linda Teasley Director@Alabama-gwrra.org ALABAMA DISTRICT TEAM ASSISTANT DIRECTORS Ron Landers Max & Kathy Tanner RIDER EDUCATORS MOTORIST AWARENESS Carl & Jan Breeding LEADERSHIP TRAINERS Roy & Anita Fosnight MEMBER ENHANCEMENT & CHOY COORDINATORS Kenneth & Veronica Campbell COY COORDINATORS Terry & Barbie Cleveland VENDOR COORDINATORS Robert & Gail Brown DISTRICT CHAPLAIN Trina & Bill Barden TREASURER Sara & Harry Leach WEBMASTER Larry & Penny Anthony On the cover: A fun time at our 26 th Anniversary Celebration

3 Page 3 Greetings fellow riders, another month has gone, wow, they sure seem to go by fast! At this writing we are less than one month away from the Alabama District Rally in Mobile! We hope all of you have made plans to be there and have fun with us! We have lots of activities planned for you as well as some great seminars. Your District Team has been hard at work to put together a great weekend for you. But remember, no matter how much we plan, we can t do it without YOU, the members of GWRRA. This is all for you and we hope you will be there to share in the fun, excitement and joy that will happen over these three days. By the time this is posted the rally schedule will be posted on the District website so you can plan each day. Remember, not everything is on the schedule; we may have some surprises for you! Thursday kicks off with our annual dinner scheduled for 6PM (you must be preregistered for the dinner at least 2 weeks prior) to be followed by the costume contest. Get out your best Sitcom costumes and participate with us. There will be awards for single, couple and chapter categories so make your plans. Friday morning begins an activity two days. The COY/IOY selection process will begin at 10AM in the Camelia ballroom. We will be selecting our new couple and individual of the year. Please include this fun event in your schedule and support our participants. After the COY/IOY selection is rehearsal for the Talent Show that is on the agenda for Friday evening, right after the District Challenge. During the day Friday we have some great seminars scheduled, games, vendors and even a few surprises. The Mobile VCB will have representatives on hand on Thursday and Saturday to give you advice on what to see and do around Mobile. On Saturday, we have several great seminars scheduled, two that are needed for your levels program and one brand new one. If you are into photography, we have an expert in the field of digital photography to discuss with you how to not only take great pics but what to do with them afterward. The chapter challenge and chapter shirt contest is also scheduled for Sat morning, so get your chapter together and participate in this fun event. And remember, the rally is only as much fun as you make it, if you participate you WILL have a good time but if you only walk around the hotel, don t participate in anything, don t go out and see some of the great things that Mobile has to offer, then it will be a boring weekend for you. Don t let it be a boring weekend, get on board the fun train and participate, not only at the rally site but within the city of Mobile as well! This past month was a busy one for all with several activities going on. The Florida rally was a great success and lots of fun was had by all who attended. On the 30th Chapters T & Y hosted the 40 to Phoenix riders at the Irondale Café in Irondale, Al. We had around 100 riders at dinner and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. The annual Alabama District Picnic occurred on April 8th and a big shout out to Mother Nature for providing us another wonderful weather

4 Page 4 day. We had a great turnout with every chapter in Alabama represented. The announcement was made that Chapter D was chosen as the Region A Newsletter of the Year winner and will be in the selection process for National Newsletter of the Year. Congratulations to Ron Landers, the Chapter D team and all the Chapter D members, quite an honor! Chapter Y was given their chapter banner representing their being selected Alabama Chapter of the Year for 2016! Congratulations to Chapter Y! Lots of fun, prizes and good food was enjoyed by all who attended. We hope to see all of you there next year. Remember, we are in the heart of the rally season in Region A. May brings two rallies in the region. South Carolina begins the month with their rally May 6and 7 in Beaufort, SC. We hope all of you will have the opportunity to attend. Secondly is our own Alabama District Rally in Mobile May 18, 19 and 20. If you have not already made plans please do so soon. June brings several activities for the Alabama District. On Sat June 3rd, we will be manning the welcome stations all around the state to promote our annual MAD day. We want to remind all the motoring public about watching out for motorcycles. We hope all of you will attend with your chapter. Saturday June 10th brings up Chapter J s fun day. Please see the District website for the location and times. Come out and play with Chapter J! On Sat June 17th, Chapter M will be having their annual picnic. Location and times are posted on the District website. Always lots of good food (including homemade desserts) at this event. We hope you will make plans to join us and support Chapter M. Finally, the month ends with the Georgia District Rally in Dalton, GA. The Dalton convention center is a terrific place to hold a rally so please make plans to be there and support the Georgia District on June 22, 23 and 24. Registration forms and schedules are posted on the Alabama District website. OK, that gets us caught up on everything around the District and Region. We hope you can make plans to attend as many of the above events as possible. Remember, the more you participate the more FUN you have! Please remember all of our men and women in uniform and all of our first responders and their families who protect and serve us each day. When you get the opportunity, say thanks for all they have done and continue to do for us. We hope to see all of you out on the road, Frank and Linda Teasley

5 Page 5 SAADD GREETINGS to all! Time is flying by at a rapid pace and if you don t pay attention, it will leave you in the dust! Hey, that could be quite literally if you re not careful so pay attention and don t get left behind. You could be missing some wonderful blessings God has prepared just for you and that would be too bad if you missed them. Oh what beautiful weather we are having now! I hope all of you are taking advantage of it and doing a LOT OF RIDING!!! There are plenty of excuses to ride now with trips, rally s, fun days, cook offs etc. planned all over the place. You just have to choose the ones you want to attend so you can have some fun with your GW friends and family. Make it happen and then be sure to SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES with others so we all will know how much fun you had. We love to hear the great stories and experiences that many have and confirm it was fun!! This month, the AL Chapters F & Z Fun Day was a great event! Many went, enjoyed and shared some great times together and made memories for a life time. The District Picnic was another great experience. It was held in the Confederate Memorial Park in Marbury AL with maybe record attendance. That is a beautiful place for the event and the fun and fellowship was awesome as well. I know there were a lot of folks there and tons of food for all to enjoy and IT WAS FREE!!! Also this month was the AL Chapter U's 25th Anniversary meeting in Dothan, AL. Bruce Williamson and crew just keep going and rolling up the years by having FUN!! Good job and we are proud of you making the Quarter Century mark this year with another great event. Almost 50 people attended this special meeting and we all had a GREAT TIME! REMEMBER!!! The Alabama District Rally for 2017 will be in Mobile AL, May at the Ashbury Hotel & Suites. The theme for 2017 is SITCOM MANIA! Make your plans now to attend and be prepared to have a great time! It will be a GREAT EVENT IF YOU help and participate!!! Put your thinking caps on and get your Talent Show Crews together and grace us with your entries in the talent show contest with your best sitcom endeavor! It will be FUN for all and we know you will make more wonderful memories!!! Remember to get your registrations in ASAP and if you want to have the Thursday evening meal with us, there is a $7.50 per person charge this year as the costs have skyrocketed and we have no choice but to charge for this great meal. Look for the slot on the registration forms for this and make sure you include your payment when you register. Be sure to get your registrations in before May 1st so you will be counted for the pre-registration of your chapter. Hope to see you there! And of course don t forget Wing Ding in Grapevine Tx. 8/29 thru 9/2. This is the Big Dance for GWRRA and you sure don t want to miss that! Make your plans NOW! Remember that GWRRA is a wonderful association and we want all good folks to be part of our great family. Share your calendars and your experiences and feel free to call me or Kathy anytime if we can assist in some way with you. Use those beautiful Gold Wing motorcycles and others to enrich your life and strengthen your GW family ties and relationships and make more memories of a lifetime! You deserve it! We look forward to many more miles of riding pleasure with all of you and please, stay safe out there. That s the only way we can continue to make it fun. Thanks and we love you all! Max & Kathy Tanner & 01 South AL Asst. Dist. Directors Max cell Kathy cell

6 Page 6 Well we have a great month coming up! May second is Jan s sixtieth anniversary of her birth. Then on 18 May we have the Alabama Rally in Mobile; two great events in the same month. We will be offering the Medic First Aid (MFA) class, Advanced Rider Class (ARC) and Trike Rider Class (TRC) at the rally, so hopefully everyone will have a chance to take a course they need for the Levels Program. I must give a shout-out to David Knapp for helping us by locating a suitable facility for the riding courses. Last fall we had classes in Russellville, Lincoln, and Dothan, so I would also like to also express my appreciation to Chapters D, S, and U; both their Educators and Directors. We offer these courses as often as we can find the ranges and facilities and as often as the demand will support, but I must say that it helps tremendously when a Chapter Educator or Director helps us out. It also helps when the members sign up to take the course, it is hard to convince an instructor to spend their money on travel and hotel rooms if the members won t show up in numbers that make it worth their time. I have spent weekends where it cost considerable personal expense, to have only one participant show up for the training. That is very disheartening, so I want to make sure I thank all of you who sign up and show to make our efforts meaningful. The $25 per bike fee is to pay operating expenses such as chalk, and equipment for the instructor s use, not to reimburse instructor expenses, we pay our registration the same as the students do. The next event I would like to discuss is Motorist Awareness Day. This year it will be on 3 June, instead of May like it is traditionally, because of scheduling difficulties. The things I would like to emphasize are: keep track of how many folks your chapters talk to, give me the totals (PLEASE do NOT keep lists of names), material should be available, but not pressed on people, our chapter donates ice water to hand out as a conversation starter, be courteous to all, do NOT Solicit or accept money (this would get us banned from the Welcome Centers). Have fun talking to folks, if you have a couple of Goldwings displayed, they make great conversation starters. Go for a chapter meal in conjunction with your shift, I believe we all enjoy food. Turn in chapter totals of folks talked to so I can include them in my report to National. Ride safely, ride often, call a friend. Carl & Jan Breeding Motorist Awareness Coordinator/District Educator, AL District GWRRA

7 Page 7 Subject: Legally Run a Red Light Ever been stuck at a traffic light that takes an excruciating amount of time -- what feels like hours -- to turn green? Imagine that as a daily occurrence. That is what it's like for some motorcyclists due to sensors at some intersections that don't recognize when lightweight vehicles arrive. To alleviate this aggravation, some states have passed "safe on red" laws that allow motorcyclists to legally drive through red lights. Kentucky just became the 15th state to do so. Without safe-on-red laws, drivers of motorcycles, mopeds, bicycles and other methods of transportation unable to trip sensors have dangerous options to choose from. They may motion cars to squeeze by to trip the light, leave their vehicle in the middle of the road to push the pedestrian crosswalk button to trip the light, or illegally run the light. And, while it may sound dangerous for a driver to run a red light, if the rules put in place by state statues are properly followed it shouldn't be. Safe-on-red laws vary by state on how they address the issue, but they all include basic instructions on how one can legally run a red light. In general, the guidelines say motorcyclists must wait at the light for a predetermined amount of time and then only proceeding through the intersection if it's free of cross traffic or pedestrians. States with safe-on-red laws Arkansas - In effect since 2005, state law allows a motorcyclist to proceed with caution, after coming to a full and complete stop, through a red light that fails to detect the bike. (Arkansas Code section ) Idaho - (2006) If a signal fails to operate after one cycle of the traffic light that a motorcyclist may proceed, using due caution and care, after coming to a full and complete stop at the intersection. (Statute ) Illinois - (2012) Permits a driver of a motorcycles or bicycle facing a red light that fails to change within a reasonable period of time of not less than 120 seconds to proceed after yielding the right-of-way to any oncoming traffic. However, this law doesn't apply to municipalities of over 2,000,000 people - such as Chicago. (625 ILCS 5/11-306) Kansas - (2012) Motorcycles may proceed at a non-responsive red light when safe and after a reasonable amount of time. (KS Statutes, Chapter 8, Article 15, Section 8, C4) Kentucky - (2015) Motorcyclists must come to a complete stop, wait for at least two minutes or two light cycles and make sure no other vehicles are crossing the intersection before proceeding. (HB 370) Minnesota - (2002) A person operating a bicycle or motorcycle who runs a red light has an affirmative defense if the driver first came to a complete stop, the traffic light stayed red for an unreasonable amount of time and appeared not to detect the vehicle and no motor vehicles or people were approaching the street. (Statute ) Missouri - (2009) State law tells both motorcyclists and bicyclists that run red lights that they have an affirmative defense if they brought their vehicle to a complete stop, the light was red for an unreasonable time period, and there were no motor vehicle or person approaching. (Statute )

8 Page 8 Nevada - (2013) Those using motorcycles, bicycles, mopeds, and tri-mobiles are allowed to proceed through an intersection with a red light after waiting for two traffic light cycles, and they yield to other vehicle traffic or pedestrians. (Statute 484B.307) North Carolina - (2007) Motorcyclists are permitted to move cautiously through a steady red light after coming to a complete stop and waiting a minimum of three minutes and if no other vehicle or pedestrians are approaching the intersection. (NCGS ) Oklahoma - (2010) Motorcycles can proceed cautiously through a steady red light intersection after a making a complete stop and if no other motor vehicle or person is approaching the roadway. (Statute ) South Carolina - (2008) After making a complete stop and waiting for a minimum of 120 seconds, the driver of a motorcycle, moped, or bicycle may treat a steady red light that doesn't change as a stop sign and proceed with caution. (S.C. Code ) Tennessee - (2003) After coming to a complete stop, motorcyclists and bicyclists may proceed through a steady red light when it is safe to do so. (Tennessee Traffic Control Signals ) Virginia - (2011) Drivers of motorcycles, mopeds, and bicycles may move with caution through non-responsive red lights as long as they yield the right-of-way to others approaching the intersection, and have come to a complete stop for two complete light cycles or 120 seconds, whichever is shorter. (Statute ) Washington - (2015) During the last legislative session, a new section was added to Chapter RCW in Washington State that allows the operator of a street legal motorcycle to make a left turn, after stopping at an intersection that is controlled by a triggered traffic control signal, if the device fails to operate after one cycle of the traffic signal. (Amendment to Chapter RCW) Wisconsin - (2006) A motorcycle, moped or bicycle is permitted to run a steady red light after making a complete stop and waiting at least 45 seconds and then yields the rightof-way to any vehicular traffic or pedestrians using the intersection. (Statute ) In Oregon, the Senate recently unanimously approved bill SB 533, which would make it legal to "proceed with caution" through a red light that is trying, but failing, to detect a motorcycle. This would only be allowed after someone has waited through a full cycle. Editor s Note: Alabama is NOT on this list. It should be. James and Freida Clayson GWRRA AL-U Chapter Educator

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10 Page 10 AL-U PROPOSED RIDE SCHEDULE FOR MAY 2017 QUESTIONS? CALL If you have a ride you would like to add to the schedule, please contact: Bruce Williamson eileengram@aol.com (334) Corky s Custom Covers Rosetta (Corky) Alexander rcalex@fairpoint.net Home: Cell:

11 Page 11 GWRRA Cruisin U s May 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 GWRRA-FL-1L PoFolks Panama City 6PM 2 GWRRA-AL-G PoFolks Enterprise 6PM 3 GWRRA-AL-U Staff Meeting 6PM Call GWRRA-AL-M, Buffet City 6PM 7 Kick Tire Milky Moo s Ozark 3PM 8 9 GWRRA-AL-U Golden Corral Dothan 6:00 PM Ride to Luigi BGs Panama City KSU 10AM Chevron Hwy 52 & Brannon Stnd 14 Happy Mother s Day! Kick Tire 3PM Wendys across from Home Depot 21 Kick Tire Wendy s Across from Home Depot Dothan 3PM Armed Forces Day GWRRA GA H Albany GA KSU 3PM Hardees Ozark GWRRA Alabama District Rally Mobile AL 26 Bfast Buffet KSU 6AM Chevron Hwy 52 & Brannon Stnd 27 Memorial Day Weekend Ride? 28 Kick Tire DQ across from Chow King Dothan 3PM 29 Memorial Day June MAD Day Alabama Welcome Center 231N AL/FL Line