Riding for a cause – more than 1,000 motorcycles expected in Lincoln on July 18

[July 11, 2015]  LINCOLN - On Saturday, July 18th, folks in the vicinity of the Lincoln American Legion Post may be shocked by the sight of hundreds of motorcycles coming and going at the Legion. But it is not anything to be concerned about. More importantly, it is something that many people in Logan County may appreciate. The "Bikers for Ta-Ta’s" have added Lincoln to their daylong ride raising money and awareness for breast cancer.

Bikers for Ta-Ta’s began in 2008 as a fundraiser for breast cancer after organizer Nancy Borum of Bartonville witness the sad loss of her grandmother and an aunt to breast cancer. She wanted to get involved in helping in some way to save others from witnessing the suffering and feeling the painful loss of loved ones to cancer.

The first ride, in 2008 was made up of 10 motorcycles with a total of 15 riders. The event raised $150.00 for breast cancer. But the ride and the cause soon took hold. Last year, there was a total of 1,780 motorcycles in the ride with approximately 2,100 riders and the group raised $47,000.

This will be the first year that the ride that begins and ends at the American Legion in Bartonville will come to Lincoln.

Site manager for the Lincoln American Legion Post 263, Gladys Farnam, explained how the Legion came to be on the list of stops this year. She said that Borum was interested in expanding the ride to a new location for the group. Borum and her husband took off one day for a bike ride and made their way to Lincoln, the American Legion, and noted that the building and parking lot were large enough to accommodate 300 or more motorcycles at one time.

Later, Borum contacted Farnam and asked if the Lincoln Legion would like to be involved in the ride. Farnam said after talking with Borum the first thing she wanted to do was find out how other communities felt about the large invasion of bikers. She contacted the Legion in Bartonville and spoke with them. “Those people had nothing but good things to say about this group,” Farnam said.

Farnam then took the request to her board of directors. All agreed that the group would be welcome at the local Legion, and also that the local Legion was interested in adding to the funds raised through a sponsorship.

Farnam said the best part of becoming a sponsor was what it will do for the community. The Bikers for Ta-Ta’s sponsors a mobile breast cancer screening bus that travels throughout the region. With the local American Legion now a sponsor, the bus is guaranteed to come to Lincoln once in the next year. While in town, women who need to have an exam but can’t afford it or don’t have insurance coverage will be able to get an exam free of charge.

Farnam said this was a great benefit that she and the Legion board were very happy to be able to bring to the community. As is the case with any cancer, early detection can make a huge difference in how well treatments work, and the ability to become a survivor instead of a statistic.

Farnam said the motorcycles are expected to start arriving in Lincoln at noon and will continue to come and go until approximately 3 p.m. She explained that because the ride has grown so many, bikers leave the starting point in timed intervals in groups of at least 25, but no more than 300 motorcycles.

She also explained that to stay on schedule, the groups of bikers will not be staying in town for very long. She said the Legion is planning on having cold beverages available for the bikers, and that their schedule will allow them time to freshen up and grab one cold drink before they have to move on. She said that the Legion does not promote drinking and driving, so there will be no hard liquor made available to the bikers, but there will be cold water, soft drinks, and beer.

For those who are unfamiliar with bikers and bike clubs, many have club emblems and colors that they wear when they ride. Farnam said that for this run, in the past there have also been those who wear pink for breast cancer or will even dye their hair pink to draw attention and raise awareness for breast cancer.

Farnam said the public is welcome and encouraged to come out to the Legion on the 18th to check out the motorcycles and visit with the riders. She said she expects a wide variety of bikes in the various groups, and seeing the different models, designs, and colors of the bikes should prove to be very interesting for many.

For any local bikers who would like to participate in the event this year, the website for Bikers for Ta-Ta’s is https://www.bftt.org/. 

The event will begin in Bartonville at the American Legion. Riders will make stops in Delevan, Athens, Lincoln, Tremont, and finish up back in Bartonville.

[Nila Smith]