Thunder on the Smoky is May 15

Off the Wire
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Members from Marquette's Kansas Motorcycle Museum Board of Directors, the motorcycle rally committee, the Marquette Chamber of Commerce and Kansas Motorcycle Museum curator LaVona Engdahl, along with many volunteers from the area and around the state, are gearing up for the sixth annual “Thunder on the Smoky" motorcycle rally in downtown Marquette, set for Saturday, May 15. Activities will begin at 10 a.m. with the American Legion Riders' Flag Parade, ending at Marquette City Park.

The day's activities will include a Trials Rider Exhibition from the Ark Valley Trials Rider Association from Wichita. This group will perform three times during the rally on the south side of the Marquette City Park. (See the Marquette Farmers State Bank advertisement in this issue for times of all activities) Members will ride their motorcycles in obstacle course fashion by climbing on top of and over different items including logs, old cars, big wooden spools, etc. The group performed at the Kansas Coliseum during a recent bike show, where a few of the Kansas Motorcycle Museum board members set up a display for the museum.

According to “Thunder on the Smoky" rally chairman Scott Johnson the board members were impressed with the group's performance at the bike show.

“The guys representing our museum thought the riders gave a good performance at the bike show and wanted us to have them perform at the rally," Johnson said. “And, we were fortunate enough to book them for the rally. They should put on a good show at three different times during the day."

The music group, “Nostalgia," will be back again to perform in the Marquette City Park off and on during the day. There will be between 30 and 40 vendor booths lining the street and the guys from M & M Choppers in Galva will bring their Dyno. They will give away first and second place plaques in three classes during the “Dyno Shoot-Out."

There will be a ride-in bike show at the Marquette City Park. Jerry Valdez, Marquette, will be in charge of the bike show once again.

“We will give first and second place plaques to the winners in five categories," Valdez said. “The voting will be done by the spectators attending the show that day and we will announce the winners at three o'clock in the park."

Biker games will be held on the east side of the city park.

Members of the Elim Social Ministries committee will once again host a pancake feed at the Marquette American Legion Hall, and Valley Café and Horses & Hawgs will host biker breakfasts at their establishments. City Sundries, Rusty's Bar and Grill and the Marquette Community/Senior Center will also provide lunch specials during the day along with Valley Café and Horses & Hawgs. Downtown businesses will also be open during the rally.

Kansas Motorcycle Museum curator Engdahl announced there are several new motorcycles at the museum. The motorcycles just arrived Sunday, April 25.

“We have three really neat motorcycles that people need to come to see during the rally," said Engdahl. “They are old cycles in mint condition."

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