ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

Those looking to support local students while also having some fun out in the wind will soon have just that chance.

Bikes at Billy's, a fundraiser for the Liberal High School Unified Bowling Team, will be happening Saturday, Sept. 19 at Billy's Ayr Lanes, with first ride out at 9:30 a.m. and last ride out at 11 a.m. The ride will include stops at Keating Tractor & Equipment in Liberal, Hardesty, Okla., Palo Duro Lake in Texas, Perryton, Texas, and end back at Billy’s Ayr Lanes. As coordinator Bill Hill tells it, there should be a lot of fun that day.

“I want this ride to show off multiple towns in the area so we can all get to know the area better and shed a spotlight on what's around us, and that's another reason we're doing Bikes at Billy's,” Hill said. “As long as I'm around, I'd love to see the event keep going and have the communities in the area all get involved, I think that'll help it really grow – not necessarily to the level of the Sturgis rally, but I'd love to see all of our communities come together. When everyone gets back that evening, we’ll also have live music from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m., which will be free of charge for anyone who wants to come out. The registration fee is $25, with all the proceeds going toward the USD 480 Unified Bowling team. There will also be some games and chances for prizes and when we get back to town, there will be refreshments for everyone, so it should be a great day for everyone. We want everybody to have a great weekend and enjoy it, and maybe meet some new people and have everyone see we offer more stuff around Liberal than just whatever people initially think about. There's a lot more stuff to see if we open our eyes and go out and about.”

Hill said he was pleased with the turnout to last year’s event.

“Last year we had more than 40 bikes, and that was a great number. This year I hope we get more than 100, and the weather looks like it's going to be in the 80s, so that should be great encouragement for people to come out,” Hill said. “And even if you just want to come out and enjoy the time and look at the motorcycles and meet the people, it's a fun group of people to be around. It'll be a great deal as we continue along for however many years we can keep it continuing, and hopefully it'll grow bigger and bigger and bigger for all of us  involved. I want everybody to know it's for our whole community. I would love to have this get to a point where we pick a certain point of the year so everyone can put Bikes at Billy's on their calendar and know we'll be planning. I would love to see high numbers this year, and not just from Liberal, but also other neighboring communities because again, I want this to bring people together.”

With the turnout seen last year, Hill hopes to see a large turnout again for this year.

“The motorcycling community is a great one to be part of, and they're always united. They're just like you and I and everybody else. When they get on their motorcycle and put their leather jacket on, the attitudes change a little bit from being an attorney or police officer, or oil field worker, or whatever their day job is, they're all united together as one,” Hill said. “If people would come out and meet these folks and enjoy it, I think that they would really, I think, they'd really enjoy being around in people. There are lots and lots of people who like to ride motorcycles, and it's all about the freedom of the open road and letting your hair down, so to speak. I hope people come out and to meet these riders and enjoy everything going on that day because in a lot of neighborhoods, there's typically more than one person who owns a motorcycle. I hope people come out and be part of something we can do as a community and unite us all together. In time, I would like to see it go from a one-day event maybe to a two or a three-day rally. If you know someone who rides, or if you ride, invite another person that rides a motorcycle and come out that day. Or, if you don't ride a motorcycle and want to ride, come out and maybe someone can help you learn how to ride. I feel like we've all ended up going in our little groups away over the last years – not that we snub each other, we’re just telling ourselves we're too busy to go enjoy and letting the right hand enjoy the left hand. We need to come back together as a community and as an area.”

Hill added he and coordinators are proud to be helping the Unified Bowling Team.

“If there’s anyone who can’t make it that day but still wants to support the team, they are more than welcome to get in touch with me at the restaurant and I’ll help them set everything up,” Hill said. “The Unified Bowling Team just got started a few years ago, and they’ve done really, really well every year so far. They don’t get as many donations as the football or basketball teams, so we're trying to do our best to help them raise money. It's better for them to go to a bowling tournament with their own bowling shoes and/or their own bowling balls than it is to go up and have to use borrowed shoes and bowling ball, so if we can get them some money and buy them uniforms and other necessities, that would be extremely beneficial to them.”

Overall, Hill said, he is excited to see how this year’s event turns out.

“I'd love to see as many people participating as possible. Everyone is welcome, and you can ride a Honda, Harley-Davidson, Kawasaki, etc., we just want as many people as possible to be involved and be part of the fun,” Hill said. “I'm not much of a rider myself, but I do own some motorcycles and have several on display in the restaurant, and I enjoy seeing how unique some of those rides are. And if anyone is willing to provide some help, I'm more than happy to talk to them and hear their ideas, because we definitely could use some volunteers. Things are coming together really well right now, and I'm excited to see how everything turns out. I hope we get a bunch of riders to participate, and I hope Mother Nature cooperates and lets us have a nice day to ride. I also hope everyone rides safely and just has a good time with this event.”