Motorcycle rally will benefit troops

Off the Wire
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Glenn Eagle couldn’t start to count the number of times he’d regretted planning a motorcycle rally on his property, with long work days blending together under a clear Clovis sky.

He’s hopeful, however, he’ll have enough motorcycle enthusiasts and charity dollars to cancel out the regrets once the inaugural Eagle View Rally is complete.

The four-day event, held Friday through Memorial Day, will feature live music, a charity auction, motorcycle games and a bike rally. The event will be held at Eagle’s property at 861 Curry Road 17, just outside of Clovis.

Admission is $30 for all four days, with a portion of proceeds going to Cannon Air Force Base’s Wounded Warriors fund.

“It’s not going to the national (charity),” wife and co-organizer Melba Eagle said. “It’s staying right here.”

The Eagles expect about 2,500 riders on their 300-plus acres, with reservations coming from as near as Portales, Roswell and Ruidoso and as far as California and Tennessee.

Rocky Martin of Clovis, who has been doing promotions for the rally and seeking donations for the auction, said the only promotions he’s done since he started five years ago are for rallies where a charity benefits.

As for the rallies, the long-time motorcycle enthusiast said every bike has a story, “and so does every biker,” which makes the camaraderie so special.

“It’s almost like living a dream when people come in,” Martin said. “There are millions of dollars worth of bikes out there. It’s jaw-dropping to see how much time people spend on bikes.”

Sitting on the stage where bands will perform, Glenn Eagle said the work would have been too much for the couple to take, and he’s received plenty of support from local military groups and the “Grumpy O Men” riding club of which he is a member.

“I didn’t expect all of this work, putting in 60 spots for electricity (for attendants and vendors),” he said. “Without friends and family, this (infrastructure) wouldn’t be here.”

Throughout the double-digit hours family and friends have been putting in each day, the couple is also getting constant cellular phone calls asking for directions and registration information (available on the website at eagleviewrally.com).

“We started with a piece of raw land that had a corral and 21 head of cattle,” Melba Eagle said. “We’ve had to adjust. We’ve put electricity in, we’ve put roads in. We’re building a stage, we’re building a shower stall.”

The event also includes a charity poker run, where riders pick from a deck of cards at a series of checkpoints. Prizes go to the best poker hand.

Other fundraisers include an auction with guns donated by Patriot Outdoors and guided hunting trips near Roswell, and a 50-50 raffle.

Glenn Eagle said he was most looking forward to the motorcycle barrel racing event, but most of the events are basically things he made mental notes about when he attended other rallies at Sturgis, S.D. and Red River in New Mexico over the last eight years.

“I said if I was going to do a rally,” he said, “I would do it this way or that way.”

Glenn Eagle said he wanted to have a rally so Clovis businesses could benefit from the riders, and added the event will feature a free Memorial Day breakfast for veterans and active duty military members.

If the rally is a success, the family plans to do them on a semi-annual basis, with the next scheduled for the Labor Day weekend.

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