September 11 Memorial Service and Run

On Sunday, September 10, I rode up to Flagler Beach to attend a 9-11 Memorial Service in Veteran's Memorial Park hosted by the Red Knight's MC. A thunderstorm rolled through around 8:30 am, very early for Florida in the summer, and I rode in my 'rain-suit' - shorts and gore-tex boots. I hate wearin' the conventional rain-suits; it's just too damn hot in the things in Florida and you get just as wet only with sweat. Anyhow, the roads were wet but it had pretty much stopped rainin'. The waves were churnin' heavily on the already eroded beach along A1A. Hurricane Florence was 5 or 6 hundred miles off-shore, no threat to us, but the ocean was angry.

I rode into town around 9:30 for the 10 am service and there were already a hundred bikes or so even though the skies to the West were super mad - it was gray, black and white and we were fixin' to get wet again. I immediately saw Alan, Paul and Paul, the wrenchin' and executive team at Psycho Cycles, and we said "hello's" and hung out shootin' the shit.
About quarter to ten Vinnie walked up and said, "Hey, Monk, how're ya doin'? Boots with you?" as he shook my hand and hugged me.
"Nah, she's home with our girls and grandkids," I replied as I introduced him to the crew from Psycho Cycles. "Where's Sue (his other half)?"
"She's hostin' her hospitality deal at the Jaguar's game today - gotta do the corporate deal, doncha know," Vinnie said. "She's kinda pissed she couldn't make it but the NFL schedule just didn't work out this year."


I found Joe, Prez of the Flagler County Chapter of the Red Knights MC and introduced myself. We'd sponsored the event for them with free advertising and publicity. He was little disappointed in the turnout, but I told him I'm sure the weather had a lot to do with it. Vinnie told me it poured all the way down from Jacksonville. Only stopped when he got to Crescent Beach (about twenty miles north of Flagler Beach). Plus the weather looked terrible to the West. I thought it was a pretty good turnout and told him so. By the time the Memorial Service started there were about two hundred bikes.

Following the Service, the Flagler and St. John's County Sheriff's Departments escorted the participants in a run up A1A to St. Augustine for a little get-together at Dick's Wings (pictures below). Next year I think we'll get involved with the Red Knights and put on a good run and memorial service. I think the demand is there for something to honor our fellow citizens that died on September 11, 2001. This time we'll do it in a place that will support us, however.

It seems the City of Flagler Beach was too supportive of Joe's efforts and one of the local cops drove up and asked, "What's goin' on?" Joe had to explain that he coordinated use of the Park with some Sergeant on the force, but no one had put the word out. The cop made some snide remark or another to Joe about they better move on out. While Joe wondered what in the hell this was all about, one of the Flagler County Motor Officers looked around at all the bikes and bikers and said to the Flagler Beach patrolman, "Hmmm. . .. Lotta bikes, lotta people here to honor those who died on September 11. Maybe you better call for back-up. . . but don't bother callin' us." Hats off to the Flagler and St. John's County Motor Officers, Fire Departments and EMT personnel for the escort and help with the Run. We'll have full coverage of the event in the October issue of Dixie Biker Illustrated and on our website at http://www.dixiebiker.com/ by the end of September.