This Friday and Saturday, thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts and the public will head for the fifth annual Choppers4Children Bike Rally.
The two-day event will be located on the grounds of Construction Adventures business, one mile south of I-44 on Hwy. 43. Combined with hundreds of motorcycles throughout the area, there will be music, vendors, bike games and other events.
“For the price of $20, it covers you for both days, come and go as you want,” said Bill Dobbs, board member of C4C. “Children under 13 are admitted free.”
Those coming in will receive a wristband that allows one to come and go. The admission price includes the concerts and shows. Food, drinks and souvenirs are available at an additional charge.
“Our primary goal is to raise money for children’s charities, in particular CMN (Children’s Miracle Network),” Dobbs said. “In the past four years, we have raised and delivered in excess of $185,000 to CMN.”
Since 2005, C4C has held a bike and music rally that attracts thousands of bikers and bike enthusiasts from all over the country. In 2005, the rally raised $41,493 and in 2006, the rally raised $42,454 for CMN. 2007 was the “topper,” Dobbs said, as C4C presented a check to CMN for $75,000. Last year, C4C presented a $25,000 check to CMN. The first two years, the rally was held on the historic Neosho Square. In 2007, it was moved to its new location.
“We have got the Dodge Raminator – sponsored by Bordertown Casino - back again,” said Dobbs. “It was with us in year three and it was a huge hit. It will be giving free rides to children of all ages throughout the two days event. We have a music lineup that is local talent.”
The music entertainment is Big Smitty at 6:30 p.m. Friday and Diversity at 8:30 p.m. as well. Saturday’s music lineup will be City Limits at 7 p.m. and at 9 p.m., AC/DC tribute band “Dirty Deeds.”
Gates open at noon on Friday and they open at 8 a.m. Saturday.
At 10 a.m., Saturday, there will be a poker run sponsored by PowerSports of Joplin. From 11 a.m. to noon, there will be bike games sponsored by West 60 Cycle.
Vendors galore will be spread throughout the grounds. Vendors from food (such as barbecue to corndogs) to beer to motorcycle vendors to motorcycle magazines including the famous Wide Open Magazine – which has been at the rallies since 2005.
“I would say that we would have about the same number as we had last year on vendors – which is about 65,” said Dobbs. “A lot of the same vendors back, some new. I am getting registrations almost daily.”
Another crowd pleaser will be the best of bike show.
“The Battle of the Bikes will be at 1 p.m. Saturday,” he said. “It will be kind of the best of show bikes from the bike show. They will be on display all afternoon and then there will be the kind of head to head, best of show competition, where you bring two bikes at a time on the stage and people vote on them by applause.”
Capping off Saturday night and ending the event will be a big fireworks show, sponsored by Neosho PowerSports.
There will not only be things for adults at the rally, but also for children – of all ages.
“The Raminator is huge with the kids,” said Dobbs. “Not only do they love to see the monster truck, but to actually have the opportunity to ride around our monster truck course in the back of the Raminator. We have other things that the kids enjoy. The vendors have some stuff that are kind of directed toward the kids. We have all of the motorcycles, kids just love to see.”
For a complete list of events, visit the C4C Web site at www.choppers4 children.com.
The future of C4C
As the thousands upon thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts and the public have come to not only visit the event, but to help out worthy children’s charities such as CMN, Dobbs noted they will still be around.
“We want to see this event continue to be a big draw for the Southwest Missouri communities,” he said. “We want to provide fun, family oriented bike related entertainment. We want to increase our music acts and just have a rally that is really a showcase of local entertainment and a destination for people of the four states. We have kind of a core group of motorcycle people that we can readily identify and that have been with us from year one and we get a lot of activity on our Web site, e-mails and those kind of things from those people and we know in the worst of weather, the coldest of Aprils, that we have a core group of supporters that believe that what we are doing for CMN is important enough that they will come out even if it is uncomfortable to do so.”
For more information, please e-mail choppers4children.com or call Dobbs at 451-8242.
