TERRE HAUTE —
Temperatures danced above the 30s Saturday as dozens of motorcycles cruised about town.
The 14th Annual Polar Bear Ride of the Wabash Valley Motorcycle Club kicked off before noon as participants registered at Ambrosini’s on Wabash Avenue. Inside, hot pasta steamed on plates as riders donned leather coats and chaps over layered clothing.
Club president Steve Johnston said side streets throughout town were still a little slick, and participation in the annual trek is largely determined by weather conditions.
“Last year we had 127, but the weather was in the 50s,” the 15-year member said, estimating this year’s count to be 50.
The Annual Polar Bear Ride takes off each year on the first Saturday of January, unless that weekend happens to contain New Year’s Day, he said. The first group ride of the year serves as a fundraiser for the club’s insurance, which it needs to host charity rides such as the one done on behalf of St. Ann’s Clinic.
This year’s event began at Ambrosini’s with stops throughout Terre Haute at pubs and taverns from the Wagon Wheel to Haney’s and ultimately Show-Me’s around 4 p.m.
Carl Dougherty said the coldest Polar Bear Ride he can remember was about 10 degrees. Some have occurred amid snow, while others were like last year in the upper 40s and 50s. No particular uniform is worn, more a “hodgepodge” of layers involving heavy leathers and even parkas, depending on the temperature and wind, he said.
“We’ve been pretty lucky. We haven’t had any sub-zero rides,” he recalled.
Dougherty participated in the club’s first ride in 1999, shortly after the group’s formation.
“There were five founding members and I’m the only one left,” he said.
Dougherty began riding motorcycles after graduating college in 1975. The Sycamore Engineering employee said a real camaraderie develops between people who like to ride.
“You meet really good people,” he said, noting he currently rides a 1995 Harley Davidson Electra Glide. Regardless their brand, most riders feel an affinity for other riders and often stop to help out along the road if need be. “And that’s a really nice feeling.”
Johnston said the group actually started out in the 1950s as a racing club and has apparel on display in the Harley Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, Wisc. Dying off after the 1960s, it emerged again in the late 1990s.
“And now we’re just a riding club,” he said, estimating membership runs a little more than 110.
Johnston’s wife Jane serves as the club secretary, and she noted the group hosts a number of parties throughout the year from Christmas to summer and fall. Summer rides go as far as 200 miles as the group tours Indiana to places like French Lick.
“It’s a riding club. Just for fun,” the owner of a Harley Davidson Ultra Classic said. But owners of any bike are welcome. “It’s not just Harley Davidson. Anybody can join as long as you have a motorcycle.”
Brian Boyce can be reached at 812-231-4253 or brian.boyce@tribstar.com.
Local & Bistate
Related Photos
-
Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza Every ride, so far: Wabash Valley Motorcycle Club member James Pitts shows off his patches for every year he has participated in the club's Polar Bear Run since it's beginning in 2000 Saturday in front of Ambrosini's.
-
Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza Next stop: Haney's: Wabash Valley Motorcycle Club member Jim Smith rides with his fellow members down Wabash Avenue at the start of the club's Polar Bear Run Saturday.
Discussion
Motorcycle enthusiasts bundle up for 14th Annual Polar Bear Ride
- Local & Bistate
-
-
UPDATE: 5 killed, 6 injured in I-70 van crash in Illinois
ST. LOUIS — A van carrying church members returning from a California gathering careened off of a southern Illinois freeway and overturned several times today, killing five people and sending six others to hospitals, authorities said.
-
2 children reported dead from Indianapolis fire
INDIANAPOLIS — Authorities say some autistic children lived in the Indianapolis condominium unit where a fire has killed two children.
-
Tighter Indiana drunken driving law seems unlikely
INDIANAPOLIS — Some key Indiana legislators say it’s unlikely that the state will any time soon go along with a federal safety board’s recommendation that the threshold for drunken driving be cut nearly in half.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: May 20, 2013
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, based on jail records.
-
Life-Size Ping Pong: Valley pickleball tourney draws large crowd to Brittlebank Park
It’s been described as “ping pong on steroids.”
Some people call it “life-size ping pong where you stand on the table.” -
Boat trip aims to raise awareness about Lewy Body Dementia
In 2013, the Year of the River, it makes sense to link a grand adventure on the Wabash River with a good cause.
-
Legislature had little taste for alcohol bills
When it comes to alcohol, the 2013 legislative session may be marked more by what it didn’t do to boost booze sales than what it did.
-
STATE OF THE STATEHOUSE: Is it regulation that doesn’t make sense or evening the playing field?
I’m not much of a drinker, so I haven’t spent much time thinking about how Indiana’s alcohol laws personally impact me, but that changed last fall when my daughter got married.
-
RESTAURANT INSPECTIONS: April 29-May 3
The Vigo County Health Department inspected the following food establishments April 29-May 3:
-
For Piper: Annual ‘Rush the Punter’ event dedicated to Dixie Bee student who died Wednesday after a short illness
Steve Weatherford’s “Rush the Punter” fundraiser at Fairbanks Park on Saturday was dedicated to a little girl who lost her life unexpectedly to pneumonia.
-
Vigo schools prepare to tighten belts
State funding for the Vigo County School Corp. will remain “pretty flat” for the next two years, said Donna Wilson, chief financial officer.
-
Veterans take to the trees
Cristal Bednar took photos of her husband, Justin, as he laboriously climbed his way up a “Dangle-Duo” to get to a zipline at Indiana State University’s Sycamore Outdoor Center.
-
Property owner seeks halt to Hulman Lake dam project
A Terre Haute property owner is seeking an injunction that would at least temporarily halt the city’s work on the Hulman Lake dam project.
-
Tornado veterans balance preparedness, practicality
Few things in nature are less predictable than a tornado. They can form quickly. They strike weirdly, leveling one building while leaving its neighbor untouched. They can fling a car a half-mile and turn a piece of lumber into a wall-piercing missile.
-
ISU unveils interactive Bayh Family Legacy Wall at school
A who’s who of Indiana Democrats paid tribute to Evan Bayh and several generations of the Bayh family Friday during a dedication of a new interactive display at Indiana State University.
-
Can you smell me now?
A contraband cell phone has been discovered by the Vigo County Jail’s youngest and most unique officer.
-
GIVING BACK: Steve Weatherford buys shoes for kids day before charity run
Terre Haute’s Steve Weatherford, punter for the 2012 Super Bowl champion New York Giants, showed once again his generosity Friday by donating new athletic shoes to more than two dozen Vigo County kids.
-
N.Y. Giants honor Weatherford as ‘Man of the Year’
Dan Tanoos, superintendent of Vigo County schools, remembers the first time he saw Steve Weatherford as a freshman at Terre Haute North Vigo High School.
-
Sunday recital at The Woods
A recital featuring songs from well-known composers is at 7 p.m. Sunday in the Church of the Immaculate Conception at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.
-
Police investigating rash of car window shootings
Terre Haute Police are investigating a rash of shootings that have shattered car windows throughout the city.
-
City hospitals get passing grades for patient safety
Two Terre Haute hospitals have been ranked for patient safety by an independent organization that assesses safety, quality and affordability of healthcare for Americans.
-
Three from Operation Turn and Burn sentenced in federal court
Three co-conspirators in a Wabash Valley methamphetamine trafficking ring were sentenced this week to several years in federal prison.
-
Illinois Senate approves medical marijuana bill
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn must decide if he will sign a measure allowing the use of marijuana for medical purposes after the state Senate approved legislation today.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: May 17, 2013
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Thursday, based on jail records.
-
I-70 resurfacing project will close westbound exit ramp
PUTNAM COUNTY, Ind. – The Indiana Department of Transportation announces the resurfacing project on Interstate 70 will close the westbound exit ramp at Indiana 243 beginning Wednesday May, 22 at about 6 a.m. until 9 p.m. that same day to mill and resurface the ramp.
-
UPDATE: Fire damages buildings in downtown Greencastle
GREENCASTLE, Ind. — Fire badly damaged several buildings today near the courthouse square in Greencastle, with flames shooting through the roofs as firefighters from several communities were called in to the central Indiana city to help.
-
Get outside this Memorial Day weekend
Although DNR campgrounds and cabins at state parks, state reservoirs and recreation areas are booked to capacity for Memorial Day weekend, some shelters remain available for picnics and other day-use gatherings.
-
Skateboarders, BMX bike riders working to improve area of city park they use
The sound of small wheels rolling across smooth concrete fills the air, accented by the clacking noise of a wooden skateboard coming to an instant stop on a metal edge before rolling on again.
-
Indiana State to host 2014 MVC baseball tourney
Build it… and they will come. The Missouri Valley Conference and Indiana State University made that famous line from the movie “Fields Of Dreams” reality Thursday.
-
Overlay recommended for 812 area code
The state agency that represents Hoosier utility customers is calling for a ten-digit solution to southern Indiana’s vanishing supply of 812 area code telephone numbers.
- More Local & Bistate Headlines
-
Raw: Tornado on the Ground in Oklahoma
Raw: Fierce Bombing in Qusair, Syria
Raw: Aftermath of Massive Tornado in Oklahoma
RAW: TV Staff Take Cover From Tornado
Raw: Swarm of Tornadoes Slams Plains
Raw: House Burns After Massive Oklahoma Tornado
Tornadoes, Storms Strike Midwest
Split-second Choice Ended With NY Student Dead
White House Backs 'Shield Law' for Media
Raw: Accused US Spy Reportedly Leaves Russia
Fatal Hot Air Balloon Accident in Turkey
Raw: Witness Describes Scene After Okla. Tornado
'Babyland': Camp Lejeune's Toxic Legacy?
Raw: Okla. Tornado Aftermath 'Like War Zone'
Commuters Face Delays After Conn. Train Accident
AP CEO: Records Seizure 'Unconstitutional'
Raw: Heavy Tornado Damage in Shawnee, Okla
Raw: Tornadoes Spotted in Kansas
Analyst: Tumblr Fills Void in Yahoo's Offerings
Today in History for May 20th
RAW: Moore, OK tornado touches down near school
Okla. tornado survivor finds dog buried alive under rubble
Robert Pattinson Moves Out
RAW: Russian dash cam catches car 20 feet in the air
Oklahoma tornado survivor: "Everything is gone"
Khloe Lashes Out at Kim Kardashian's Critics
Couple Argues As Woman's Lover Crawls Out Window
RAW: Brad Paisley Forgets Lyrics To His Own Song
Justin Bieber Gets Booed
New 'Anchorman 2' Trailer, Drake Joins List of Rumored Cameos
Eva Longoria's Wardrobe Malfunction
Heat Star Dwyane Wade Surprises Coral Gables Teen At Prom
Steak n' Shake waitress scores huge tip
Singer Miguel Accidentally Lands on Fan At Billboard Music Awards
Celebs Celebrate the Rise of the Side Butt
Grizzly bear gets up close and personal with camera
Justin Bieber Gets Booed After Winning at the Billboard Awards
Singer forgets lyrics, makes up words to National Anthem
